Daniel Haston Family Association

Video Presentation – Daniel Haston Family Tree

Video Presentation - Daniel Haston's Family Tree

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2022-2027 Haston Family History Books Project

The Heritage, Life, and Legacy of Daniel Hiestand/Haston

The 2022-2027 Hiestand/Haston Family History Books Project

The Story That Led to This Project

I began researching my Haston family in the fall of 1999. It started as a simple attempt to satisfy my curiosity, but it soon became a hobby, sometimes an obsessive one. I started to collect and organize pertinent documents. Then, I began ordering and reading books broadly related to the historical trail I was discovering, which gradually became an extensive library.

Having had professional experience as a website developer, it seemed appropriate to put my findings online to share what I discovered with Hastons who were interested. I created a simple website for that purpose, which grew into a vast resource for public access. Later, it was supplemented by a more contemporary blog site.

At some point, I thought, “You ought to write a book to preserve what you have learned for your own children, grandchildren, future descendants, and other relatives.” When I retired in 2017, I began writing, thinking it might result in a book of a few hundred pages.

But after a few years of writing, I realized that I had written about 1,300 pages! A good friend with a lot of experience in publishing told me, “Wayne, nobody is going to purchase a book of 1,300 pages!” He commented further, “You need to condense that down into a smaller book, then flesh the rest of your work out into a series of books.” So, that’s what I’ve done and am doing.

When completed, we should have more than 2,000 pages of recorded and published history of our Haston family. I urge you to collect the complete set and then pass it down to future generations of your family.

Published 2022

The Story of the Daniel (Hiestand) Haston Family

The Condensed Version of the Story

This was a difficult book to write because I was forced to leave out so much valuable historical information about our (Hiestand) Haston family. It’s what I call my “Reader’s Digest” version of the FULL story because it is condensed, containing about 25% of what the following four books combined will contain.

But there is a reason it is a condensed version of our family’s history. It is written and designed to give you a good and fairly succinct overview of our Haston family, from the mountain slopes along the south shore of Lake Zürich to the Rhineland of Southwest Germany, to Pennsylvania in the USA, then down into northern Virginia, and on to Tennessee, and eventually all across the United States to where YOU probably live.

Every Haston and Haston-related family should have this book. It’s an excellent gift for children, grandchildren, cousins, and other relatives.

Published 2024

The Swiss-German Hiestand Roots

Book 1 of the Four-Book Series – The Heritage

The 2022 book was difficult to write because it was a condensation of a much bigger account of the Daniel Haston family story. But this volume was very challenging for another reason–most of it is the European (Switzerland and Germany) part of our story (based on old German language documents)–our European roots that were undiscovered until after 2008. It expands the content of Chapters 1-8 of the 2022 book by four times.

With the assistance of some highly regarded European historians and translators, I was able to craft the story of precisely where our family came from along the shore and mountain south of Lake Zürich, Switzerland – when the family name first appeared – why they were forced to leave Switzerland – where they settled along the Rhine Rivers of Southwest Germany – when our earliest immigrant ancestor (Henrich Hiestand) came to America – where he initially settled and later moved to – how many children he had – and where our ancestor, Daniel Hiestand/Haston fit into the family.

Please note: There is more Swiss and Rhineland Germany historical information about the Hiestand family (and consequently our Haston family) in this book than is in any book, anywhere. It is was a very expensive project and is an extremely valuable resource.

If, by God’s grace, He allows me to live and be physically and mentally able, I plan (and hope) to publish one book each year in 2025, 2026, and 2027.

Projected for 2025 Publication

The Life of Daniel Hiestand/Haston: From the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia to the Frontier of Middle Tennessee

Projected for 2026 Publication

The Legacy of Daniel Hiestand/Haston, Part 1: David Haston, Montgomery Greenville Haston, Joseph Haston, Lucinda Haston Mitchell, Catherine Haston Austin, Isaac Haston (in Tennessee and Missouri)

Projected for 2027 Publication

The Legacy of Daniel Hiestand/Haston, Part 2: Isaac Haston (in California), Jesse Haston, Jeremiah Haston, Daniel Haston, Jr., Elizabeth Haston Roddy

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The Big Story of the Hiestand-Haston Family Video Presentation

Video Presentation - Haston History, 600+ Years in 60 Minutes

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WW2 Belly Gunner – Horace H. “Ace” Haston, Part 4

The Post-WWII Life of Horace "Ace" Haston

Post-War Life of Horace Haston as Told by Daughter, Alice Haston Norton

When the war was over Dad was sent back to Manila in the Philippines. The crew was disbanded and he became the crew chief on an AT5 aircraft for 4-5 weeks. He was then sent to Clark Air Base in Luzon, Philippines where he was in charge of the post office there. He was sent back to Manila and sailed on the ocean mail ship to Fort Sam Houston, TX. He was given a train ticket to Chattanooga, TN.

Over the years, Dad and his fellow crew members met several times in various cities and remained close. He was the last surviving member of the crew. Shortly after leaving the service, he fulfilled his dream of getting his pilot’s license.

When my Dad got out of the service, he started working with his grandfather in the meat market of a grocery store in Lafayette, Georgia. That’s where he met my mom, Juanita Layton. Mom was the oldest of six children, so she helped by going to the grocery store for the family. Dad used to laugh and say he thought she shopped there more than was needed so they could talk. She never confirmed nor denied the matter. They married and lived in Lafayette, Georgia, for a short time and then moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee.

My sister, Elizabeth Ann Haston, was born in 1949, and I was born in 1954. We moved from Chattanooga to a farm in Apison (a small suburb of Chattanooga). I absolutely loved it because we had horses on the farm and I rode every day after school and the completion of my chores. Dad baled the hay on the farm and hired local boys to help. He took an interest in each one and gave them advice. It ended up that they all seemed to love and respect him. He was tough and expected them to work, but he was also good to them. Sometimes, there would be a knock on the door, and a young person wanted to talk to Dad and Mom and get their perspective on some issue they were having. Dad was very straightforward in what he said. He didn’t mince words, and you knew exactly how he felt.

He was also fun to be around and made everyone laugh. He had a great sense of humor. I know now that it came from the Haston side.

We attended some of the decoration days at The Old Union Cemetery in Sparta, TN when I was young. I have memories of long tables filled with food out under the large tree at the cemetery.

God Spared His Life on September 25, 1972

Dad owned gas stations, drove a tank truck for Shell Oil, and drove for Malone and Ranger Trucking over his lifetime. On September 25, 1972, he was driving to the Shell Oil fuel terminal on Jersey Pike (Chattanooga, TN) to start his workday. He pulled off at a gas station not far from the terminal to pick up the tractor that was there to be washed. This was a regular routine. He stayed at the gas station this time longer than usual. At that time, a massive explosion occurred at the terminal across the street from the Shell Oil facility. The flames shot across the street and burned the trees and anything else where there were fumes. Dad should have been on top of the tank truck loading at the time of the explosion. The inferno burned for over 28 hours. A special foam had to be shipped in to contain the fire. It was on the national news. I’m thankful that Dad wasn’t on top of that truck at the time of the fire. Sadly, three people lost their lives.

Dad passed away on August 15, 2020, due to COPD and Covid. He was 94 years old.

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Battle of Morotai – Horace H. “Ace” Haston, Part 3

"Ace" Haston Opens Up About His Experiences as a B-24 Belly Gunner

His Story as Told by Daughter, Alice Haston Norton

Dad and the crew were sent on a B-24 Heavy Bomber called the Liberator. They flew on 13 missions over Burma and China. His position on the crew was the “belly gunner.”

They were stationed at Morotai, Dutch E. Indies and fought in the Battle of Morotai.

Morotai’s development into an Allied base began shortly after the landing, and two major airfields were ready for use in October. These and other base facilities played an important role in the Liberation of the Philippines during 1944 and 1945.

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WW2 Belly Gunner – Horace H. “Ace” Haston, Part 2 – Duplicate – [#41530]

The "Ace" on a WWII Heavy Bomber Crew for 13 Missions

His Story as Told by Daughter, Alice Haston Norton

Dad and the crew were sent on a B-24 Heavy Bomber called the Liberator. They flew on 13 missions over Burma and China. He was the youngest and the smallest member of the crew. As the youngest, he was the last one living prior to his passing. Being the smallest, it was logical that he be the “belly gunner.”

We have a diary that he wrote in for a few months. It tells of the pilot landing their plane in rough winds and scraping the wing tip, and that the pilot did a beautiful job and recovery, building roads with cut palms because it was so muddy, playing basketball, building their housing because it was up to each crew as to the quarters they had and several pages of what appears to be instructions for the gunners. The tent area was in a palm grove, so they had some shade, and the nights were cool.

They were stationed at Morotai, Dutch E. Indies and fought in the Battle of Morotai.

World War II's Ill-Fated Ball Turret ("Belly") Gunners

Every person involved in fighting or caring for the wounded in World War II had a risk to their life. But, when it came to American bomber planes, the risk was far greater for some than for others. While the pilots were given the best position on the aircraft, the gunners had to hold some precarious positions in order to effectively defend the aircraft. The worst position by far was held by the ball turret gunners.

Rose Heichelbech

The B-24 Liberator Bomber was designed to improve on and replace the B-17 Flying Fortress. The B-24 was supposed to fly faster, higher, and carry more bombs over a longer range. However, both of these heavy bombers were equipped and armed with a ball turret (belly) gunner.

View this 6:53 Min. Video to Appreciate the Heroism of Horace Haston

The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner
BY RANDALL JARRELL
From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State,
And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life,
I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.

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WW2 Belly Gunner – Horace H. “Ace” Haston, Part 1

The "Ace" on a WW II Heavy Bomber Crew for 13 Missions

Horace H. Haston: December 4, 1925 – April 15, 2020

He was a student at Central High School in Chattanooga, TN when the attack on Pearl Harbor happened. He told me, "Everybody was so patriotic, and were all so mad." In 1944 he joined the Army Air Force. He was 17 years old.

Channel 9, ABC News - Chattanooga, TN

Haston Lineage of Horace H. Haston

Horace’s mother remarried to Joe R. McArthur. His stepfather and stepbrothers tried to get Horace to change his name to McArthur. But, Horace responded – “I’m a Haston.”

His Story as Told by Daughter, Alice Haston Norton

My Dad, Horace Harold Haston, was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on 12/4/1925 to Margaret Smith Haston and Hearl Haston. His father left when he was a baby and, as far as we know, never returned. My grandmother, Margaret, eventually married again and left my Dad to be raised by his grandfather, Charlie Grover Smith. Dad reminisced about playing around the grounds of Parthenon in Nashville when he was a child. They lived on a farm, and Dad was taught at a young age about hard work. His grandfather was strict, taught him an excellent work ethic, and loved him very much. Dad mentioned many times that he didn’t know what would have happened to him had his grandfather not stepped up and raised him. There was an elderly black couple that lived on the farm as well. Dad said he would eat at home and then go to the couple’s house and eat again. Growing boys are hard to fill up. I don’t recall their names, but Dad was very fond of them, and they loved him too.

During the Great Depression, his grandfather lost their farm and small general store. I actually have the ledger from the store, and you can see the numbers sadly going down daily. People just didn’t have the money to purchase items or to pay if they had promised to pay later. There’s even a notation in the ledger of my dad’s birth. When the farm and business were lost, they moved to Chattanooga, in the Saint Elmo area, which was where Dad’s mother, stepfather, and half-brothers were living. They all lived together, and Dad attended Central High School. Uncle IH (Isham Harvey Haston) and Ruth Haston lived in Chattanooga and owned a motel and gas station (Glendale Tourist Court). Dad said that when he was young, he would go work at their motel by painting, as a bell boy, or whatever was needed.

Enlisted in Reserve Corps – November 27, 1943

Dad was sworn into the US Army Air Corp at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, on June 15, 1944, and was then transferred to Biloxi, Mississippi, to be trained as a pilot. The government canceled all pilot training, so he went on to Biloxi and was trained as a gunner. After training, he was transferred to Mt. Home, Idaho, to meet up with his crew of 9 other members. After 6 weeks, he was sent to San Francisco to board a troop carrier ship and sailed 31 days to Manila, Philippines.

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2024 Reunion – Old Family Photos and Heirlooms

Two Reunion Interest Centers - Old Family Photos & Heirlooms

These treasures will be labeled and placed on interest center tables. We have learned that these old family photos and heirlooms are some of the most attention-getting features of a family reunion. During some of the main “Mix and Mingle” sessions, you may want to accompany your old photos and heirlooms at the interest centers so that you can share stories about them that have been passed down through your family’s history.

A prize will be given for the most interesting family photo that is visibly displayed on the interest center table, as well as a prize awarded for the most interesting family heirloom.

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John E. Haston – Bledsoe County, TN Family

John E. Haston Families - Bledsoe County, TN

Reconnected to Tennessee Pioneer Daniel Haston

Jeanenne Haston Kendrick (daughter of Larry Arlon Haston), whose roots run deep in Bledsoe County (Pikeville), TN, and I got into contact with each other in mid-June, 2024. Jeaneene explained that her Haston family had not been able to trace their family back past John Elder Haston. That was just the challenge I needed to look for her family’s connection back to Daniel Haston and his Swiss-German Mennonite father, Henrich Hiestand–our earliest immigrant ancestor.

The task was a bit more challenging than I expected but was accomplished with some assistance from Carolyne Oakes Knight, Librarian of Bledsoe County Library, and her 100+-year-old researcher friend, Sara Agee Goins. Yes, Sara was 100+ years old at the time she helped with this project!

Probable graves of John Elder Haston and his first wife, Scottie McGuire. Grave stones placed in October 2024 by the Arlon Larry Haston family after extensive research by the Daniel Haston Family Association revealed that this is very likely where they were buried, very close to the grave of John E. Haston's second wife and other family members. This is the Seals Cemetery in the Winesap Community of Bledsoe County, TN, on the Cumberland Mountain not far from the Van Buren County, TN line.

John E. Haston’s Two Families

1860 Bledsoe County Census

At the time of this 1860 census, Scottie and her three children were living with her parents. Her husband was not on the list.

The Haston family lineage chart below summarizes the connection from the John Elder Haston family in Bledsoe County, TN all the way back to, and beyond, the Hastons who settled at the head of the Haston Big Spring in what is now Cummingsville, TN.

Research Notes & Conclusions

Although there are many well documented family references to John Elder Haston having been a husband of two wives (Scottie McGuire & Mary E. Ferguson) and having had several children in Bledsoe County, TN, no other documents (such as tax, land, and court records) have been discovered. Apparently he was not active as a landowner, civic leader, etc.
Note: There are some unindexed Bledsoe County records that have not been thoroughly searched that might reveal some information about John Elder Haston’s life in the county.
The biggest challenge in this research process was to connect this John Elder Haston to a descendant of Daniel Haston, the patriarch of the Middle Tennessee Haston family.
A Great-Grandson (John E. Haston) of Daniel Haston (Daniel>Joseph>Isaac>John E.) was born in what was White County in 1832. The area became Van Buren County in 1840. But in the White/Van Buren County records there is not mention of this man’s E middle initial/name being “Elder.” So, was this White/Van Buren County John E. Haston the same man as John Elder Haston of Bledsoe County, TN?
The deeper I got into the research, the more circumstantial evidence began to suggest that they were the same man–John E. Haston (Great-Grandson of Daniel Haston) was the John Elder Haston who lived in Bledsoe County and raised families with two wives, the first of whom apparently died in about 1870.

The Accumulation of Evidence

At the time of the 1850 census, John E. Haston was 18 years old and living with his parents (Isaac and Emeline Haston) in District 7 of Van Buren County. While it is true that District 7 may have extended to the Bledsoe County line, I don’t think the Isaac Haston family was living that far away from Spencer in 1850, based on the location of some of his (as per the census) neighbors whom I know to have lived in or close to Spencer.
When I read that John Elder Haston lived in Bledsoe County, I immediately thought he was living in the Sequatchie Valley, near Pikeville. But documented evidence indicates that he was living in the section of Bledsoe County that is on the Cumberland Mountain in or near what is now the Bellview Community–near the Big Spring Gap Road, the Winesap Community, and the Seals Cemetery where his wife Mary E. Ferguson and some other close relatives were buried. See the comment under the featured image on top of this page. This location was near the Van Buren County line.

3. The currently known strongest documented evidence to connect John E. Haston (son of Isaac and Emeline Haston, born 1832 in what became Van Buren County, TN) to John Elder Haston of Bledsoe County, TN is the names the Bledsoe Countian gave to some of his children. For that era, this is a kind of evidence frequently used by genealogists to make such connections.

According to the 1850 census, John E. Haston was the oldest son of Isaac and Emeline Haston in Van Buren County. Remember, this Isaac Haston was grandson of Joseph Haston–not Joseph’s brother Isaac or another of the many Isaacs in the Haston family.

John Elder Haston of Bledsoe County, in about 1860, named his first son “James T. Haston,” the name of Van Buren County James E. Haston’s younger brother.
John Elder Haston named his 1878 daughter “Martha Haston,” the name of John E. Haston’s only sister.
John Elder Haston gave the name “Miles” to his 1882 son “Richard Henry Miles Haston.” Miles was the name of John E. Haston’s younger brother.
John Elder Haston named an 1885 son “William Haston.” John E. Haston had a younger brother named William.

So, John Elder Haston (of Bledsoe County) who gave his earliest children the same names as the siblings of John E. Haston (of Van Buren County) strongly suggests that John Elder Haston and John E. Haston were one and the same man. Also, notice the sequence of the names given to John Elder Haston’s children compared to the age sequences of John E. Haston’s siblings! The parallel was definitely coordinated.

Summary of Circumstantial Evidence

John E. Haston of Van Buren County = John Elder Haston of Bledsoe County

They both carried the “Haston” name.
Note: At that time in (what is now) Middle Tennessee the extended Daniel Haston family was the only family with that surname! They essentially had to be closely related, if not the same person.
They both were in the same age range.
Note: From the 1850 census we know that Van Buren County’s John E. Haston was born in about 1832. Some family documents say that John Elder Haston was born in 1842, but there is no support for that birthdate. In fact, we know that he was married to Scottie McGuire in the 1850s.
They both were from the same general area.
John E. Haston of Van Buren County disappeared from public records at about the same time that John Elder Haston appeared on the Cumberland Mountain in nearby Bledsoe County.
The naming patterns of John Elder Haston’s children and John E. Haston’s siblings added to all of the above evidence is conclusive.

Descendants of Bledsoe County Tennessee’s John Elder Haston can be assured that they are genealogically connected, and closely so, to pioneer Daniel Haston who settled on Cane Creek near the Caney Fork River as early as 1803 or 1804. Two or three years later Daniel Haston signed the petition to create White County, TN. That area of White County became Van Buren County in 1840 and his descendants played some important roles in the creation of the new county.

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Our Pre-Daniel Haston European Roots

New Release - Book 1 of a 4-Part Series

The Heritage of Daniel Haston – His Swiss Ancestors and the Experiences that Drove His Father to America

My 2022 book, The Story of the Daniel Haston Family, was a “Reader’s Digest” version of an upcoming much more extensive series of four books on our Haston family’s history. This 2024 book is Book 1 of the 4-part series. The current volume expands chapters 1-8 of the 2022 book by about 300 pages. It focuses on the heritage of Daniel Haston–the heritage that he inherited, including his Swiss ancestors all the way back to 1401.

I developed a working relationship with some highly esteemed Swiss historians, Hiestand/Haston cousins on the German Rhineland, archivists, old German script researchers, translators, and other Europeans in producing this in-depth story of Daniel’s father and the earlier Hiestands from whom we descend.

This is a book that every descendant of Daniel Haston, regardless of how he or she spells the family name, and every Hiestand family, should own and pass down to their kids, grandkids, and the other generations to follow.

Flip through the “First Pages” of Book 1 of the 4-Part Series, The Heritage, Life, and Legacy of Daniel Haston

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Haston – Edward Earl

Edward Earl Haston

1932 – 2002

Rank and Branch of Military

Corporal, Army

Years of Service

1951 – 1954

Locations of Training, Deployment, and Service

Baumholder, Germany

Wartime Theaters of Assignment and Major Battles

Korean War

Relationship to the Daniel Haston Family

Descended through David Haston, Daniel’s son

Other Information About the Service Member's Haston or Haston-Related Ancestry

The picture of my dad (top of the page), Edward Earl Haston, in his army uniform was when he was stationed in Baumholder, Germany. He was drafted out of high school. After a year or so he sent for my mother to join him in Baumholder (180 miles due west of Ibersheim, Germany, the area where the early Hiestands lived). That is where I was born November 29, 1954. It seems like we almost made the whole circle being born in Germany, and they named me Daniel. -Daniel Earl Haston (son)

Grandfather Archie Vivian Haston

Person who submitted this information and relationship to the honored veteran:

Son, Daniel Earl Haston

Email address to the person who submitted this information:

daeaha54@aol.com

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Haston – Fred Marion

1915 – 2000

Dr. Fred Marion Haston, Sr.

Rank and Branch of Military

Army Air Corps – Captain (perhaps Major prior to discharge)

We know he was a Captain for sure (can see his Captain’s bars on his picture). I think he may have been promoted to Major prior to being discharged because I found a set of gold Oak Leaf Major’s insignia shoulder pins in some of his old stuff. -Fred Marion Haston (son)

Years of Service

1942-1946

Locations of Training, Deployment, and Service

Deployment locations: MacDill Army Air Force base in Tampa, FL, New Orleans, Trinidad, San Antonio

He was stationed at MacDill Army Air Force base for a period of time in Tampa, FL.(before New Orleans assignment). It was both an interesting and sad time. During the time he was stationed there they were training new B-26 Bomber pilots. This plane had a big fuselage and little short wings so it was not something you could glide in or coast in as you were landing — it had to be powered in fast. It was the fastest landing plane in the Air Force at that time (my mother’s brother was a B-26 pilot). So a lot of new pilots had hard time understanding how fast you had to fly when landing it. As a result there were a lot of plane crashes. There was a saying at the time –“One A Day In Tampa Bay.” Since our Dad was a dentist I guess that classified him as being in the medical corp therefore when crashes occurred and bodies were hard to identify he would be called up to help identify the bodies based on dental records. -Fred Marion Haston (son)

Wartime Theaters of Assignment and Major Battles

See the story, below.

Stories of Interest Involving the Service Member

Attached is an Army Air Corp picture of a man who gave up his dental practice and cushy, safe living in Jasper, AL, and volunteered to risk his life to fight in WW II because he felt it was the right thing to do. The picture is of Dr. Fred M. Haston. He was stationed at a post near New Orleans for several months before being locked down one day with orders for no outside communication. That night his outfit was loaded on a train and taken to Mobile, AL where they boarded a ship and were shipped out. They had not a clue where they were going but since the U.S. was engaged in heavy fighting in North Africa at the time they assumed there was a good possibility that was where they were headed. Instead, they were spared that assignment and taken to the Island of Trinidad where he was stationed for a year or so, — a lucky and safe assignment compared to North Africa.

Why Trinidad? — In the 1940s airplanes were not capable of taking off from Atlanta or New York and flying direct to Europe where both bombers and fighters were needed. The most common way to get there was to fly the Southern Route — down through Mexico, Central America, and Trinidad on down to the eastern edge of Brazil, South America to a little town called Recife. There the planes would load up with fuel and take off headed across the Atlantic toward Africa and looking for a tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic called Ascension Island where they had to refuel to make it to Europe. My mother’s brother — Ed Cain flew his B-26 Bomber on that route to get to Ireland.

After Trinidad Fred Haston was stationed in San Antonio for a couple of years at Kelly Field Air Corp base until the end of the war. Was released from the service I believe in late 1945. He was very fortunate to have not ended up in the middle of battles in Europe or the Pacific–otherwise, my little brother, Richard, may not have been born. -Fred M. Haston, Jr

Relationship to the Daniel Haston Family

Daniel Haston > David Haston > Isaac T. Haston, Sr. > Erastus S. Dickey Haston > Dr. Fred Dexter Haston > Dr. Fred Marion Haston

Other Information About the Service Member's Haston or Haston-Related Ancestry

See the Dr. Fred Dexter Haston page.

Grave:

Person who submitted this information and relationship to the honored veteran:

Fred Marion Haston, Jr. – son

Email address to the person who submitted this information:

fhaston1@aol.com

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Part 3 – Search for the Man Who Killed Revenue Agent Hugh Lowery

Part 3 - In Search of a Bootlegging Cop Killer

One of Daniel Haston’s G-G-G Granddaughters played a major role in the post-shooting drama.

I will tell you some things about what happened to Ernest Price after the deadly shooting that took the life of Revenue Officer Hugh T. Lowery. Out of respect for his living descendants and other close relatives, and to honor their request, I will not tell you everything some members of his Price family know. But I will reveal enough for you to understand, in general, how the story ended.

Escape from the Crime Scene – Generally Unknown Story

Newspaper accounts of the shooting of Hugh Lowery do not tell the story of how Ernest Price managed to escape the crime scene, other than he waved his pistol at those around him, threatened to kill anyone who tried to arrest or hinder him, and took off in the direction of his home in Doyle. Another account says he was “last seen making his way for the mountains.” But, according to Price’s family, here’s how he made his initial get-away:

After Officer Lowery was shot, Ernest Price took off and apparently hid near the scene of the shooting. His companions, Ernest Seals, Everett Rowland, and Sarah Davis, put Officer Lowery in the car with them and drove him to a doctor (Doctor A.F. Richards) in Sparta.

But, according to the Price family, what is not commonly known is that they (Seals, Rowland, & Davis) returned to the mountain, picked Ernest up and took him away from the crime scene and let him out miles away so that he could make his escape. The lawmen soon concluded that Price had been picked up by someone, because the bloodhounds lost his scent abruptly. If his buddies did pick him up, that information apparently did not come out in the court case. Seals and Rowland were fined for public drunkeness and carrying pistols, but not for aiding Price in his escape.

Note: This version doesn’t seem to match the newspaper stories that say Ernest’s companions, Ernest Seals and Everett Rowland, were held in jail as witnesses after they took Officer Lowery to a doctor in Sparta. But, perhaps the stories are reconcilable – maybe (1) Seals and Rowland took Officer Lowery to the doctor, (2) returned to DeRossett and picked Earnest Price up and carried him away from the crime scene, and (3) returned to Sparta (perhaps accompanied by law officers) where they were placed in jail.

Search Expands and Reward Grows

The citizens of DeRossett offered a $250 reward for the capture of Price. A like amount ($250) was offered by the Bon Air Coal & Iron Corporation. And a reward of $200 was offered by the State of Tennessee.

Note: If the “citizens of DeRossett” offered a reward, that is another indication that the shooting occurred in or near DeRossett, not down the mountain below Bon Air.

Striking miners numbering more than 2,000 joined in the hunt for Ernest Price. It just so happened that the shooting occurred while miners were on strike, which resulted in a massive expansion of the posse (official or unofficial posse) who joined the hunt. For miners on strike, the reward would have given them a strong incentive!

Ernest Price Almost Captured

On May 9, 1924, fifteen days after the deadly shooting, Federal Prohibition Agent Logan Molloy and a posse of men came to an abandoned cabin where Ernest Price was said to have been staying. But Price fled the area suddenly when he received information that officers were closing in on him.

Note: As I recall, I think one version of the story said that Ernest was hiding under the porch of the cabin.

The Great Get-Away

They said, “Ernest Price will never be captured alive.” They were right!

Here’s the part of the story where I will try to honor the wishes of the Price family, but provide enough information for you to know how the story ended.

One newspaper account says that Ernest Price was married when he shot and killed Hugh Lowery. But I can find no record of Ernest Price having been married by that time…or, frankly, ever.

The Haston Connection

At some point, Ernest Price “hooked up with” Kathleen Haston. At the time of the 1920 census, Kathleen, the oldest of 12 children, lived with her parents in Cave, TN, a community (District 3 of White County, TN), about 2 miles east of Doyle, TN near the Calfkiller River. The Cave, TN post office no longer exists and most locals are not even aware of its past existence. Ernest Price (according to the Price family) lived on Eaton Road, north of Doyle, TN before the shooting. Ernest and Kathleen may have known each other for a long time, even though he was seven years older than she was. She was born in 1904 and he was born in 1897. But when and where and how they connected is not known.

Kathleen’s Parents are buried in the Bethlehem Church Cemetery, near Doyle, TN – Same cemetery where Officer Hugh Lowery and his family are buried.

Despite a diligent search, I have found no record of a marriage between Ernest Price and Kathleen Haston. However, it is known that they lived together as man and wife for the remainder of their lives and are buried side by side. Perhaps they were married, but the change of their identities may be the reason their marriage date and place are hidden from us.

The Westward Escape

Some of the following information is from the Price family but most details about their life “out west” are from public records.

One writer, probably a relative of Ernest Price, stated:

Price went on to Michigan and into the auto plant. His wife and kids joined him and lived a normal life. I know he was home in 1965 for his brother's funeral. That wasn't his first visit either and he didn't hide. That was when I first heard it all told.

Unknown White County, TN Resident

Part of the above is likely true, but some of it is inaccurate. The Michigan destination is not accurate. There is ample evidence to disprove the Michigan and auto plant part of the assertion. The Michigan statement may have been given intentionally to continue to cover-up where the family really lived. Records do seem to show that he and his family did live a normal life after they got away from Tennessee. Ernest died in 1985, so it is very possible that he did return home in 1965, as well as other times previous to that. The Price family acknowledged that Ernest (and probably Kathleen) did return to White County to visit family members and that some of them traveled west to visit with Ernest, Kathleen, and their family.

According to a member of the White County, TN Price family–someone closely connected genealogically to Ernest Price–Ernest and Kathleen went to Kentucky and caught a train to _______ (somewhere out west, that I will not mention).

They changed their names to some very common names that made it very difficult for them to be traced–and it worked.

Here are some of what I know about Ernest and Kathleen in their life out west:

They appear on the 1930, 1940, and 1950 census records for the western city they lived in, nowhere near Michigan. The 1950 census is the last census that is available to the public.
According to the City Directory, they lived in the same house from at least 1930 through 1958. They were homeowners.
Ernest was employed, over the years, as a janitor for a pie company, a house mover, and an agricultural aid for a company that did laboratory research on animal diseases. Kathleen was a commercial tailor.
They had a daughter, Jacqueline, who was born in Tennessee and a daughter Maxine who was born in a western state, as well as a 1947-born son whose middle name was Haston.
Jackie (Jacqueline) was born October 1, 1925 in Eaton, Tennessee of Gibson County, TN. So, if this is accurate, Ernest and Kathleen were still living in Tennessee eighteen months after the shooting death of Officer Hugh T. Lowery, but far enough away from Sparta, TN to feel safe, I suppose.
An Ancestry.com record says that Ernest Price (under his aka assumed name) was born in Gibson County, TN, so I’m not sure if any of the Gibson County, TN information is true or just a misdirection to point law officials to a false trail.
Kathleen died in 1960.
Ernest (aka Joseph E. Smith) died in 1985.

True, “Ernest Price would never be captured alive.” He was never captured at all!

We never felt revenge. We felt since Price had to run all those years, that it was punishment worse than being in prison.

Hattie Joe Lowery Ford, Daughter of Hugh T. Lowery

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Part 2 – Ernest Price, the Man Who Shot Hugh Lowery

Part 2 - The Man Behind the Trigger on April 23, 2024

One of Daniel Haston’s G-G-G Granddaughters played a major role in the post-shooting drama.

In Part 3, I will tell you some things about what happened to Ernest Price after the deadly shooting that took the life of Revenue Officer Hugh T. Lowery. Out of respect for his living descendants and other close relatives, and to honor their request, I will not tell you everything some members of his Price family know. But I will reveal enough for you to understand, in general, how the story ended.

World War 1 Service

September 29, 1918 - On His Way to France for a Year of Service in World War 1

September 29, 1919 - On His Way to Home After a Year of Service in World War 17

Ernest Price’s Criminal Record

Not necessarily his complete record.

Before the April 23, 1924 incident near DeRossett, TN that took the life of Hugh Lowery, Ernest Price had already established an ignominious record of criminal activity in and around White County, TN. He was well known by law enforcement officers and court officials. When the word of the fatal shooting reached local lawmen, they would not have been surprised to hear that the shooter was Ernest Price.

Mostly from Public Records – Volumes 3 and 4 of the TN Circuit Court Minutes in White County, TN Archives

Note: It is difficult to sort out all of the White County Circuit Court records, as to which are the original charges and which are continuations of previous cases.

1918 – May 5: Disturbing Worship. Ernest was 21 years old. He was arrested just about a month before he registered for the military draft. He was fined $30.

World War 1 Service

1921 – March 23: Carrying a Pistol. Apparently, Ernest liked to carry a pistol as you will see in his court record. Was he “carrying” for self-defense or for opportunities to do some mischief or, worse yet, some serious illegal deeds?

1921 – July 22 – Disturbing Public Assembly.

1921 – July 23 – Public Drunkenness.

1922 – July 19 (November 24, 1922) – Carrying a Pistol.

1922 – July 19 (and continued into November and May 16, 1823) – Assault with Intent to Commit Murder. Also, Carry a Pistol. Ernest Price shot through a door of a home and hit Emmett Youngblood, a three-year-old boy, in the eye which paralyzed little Emmett.

According to a TN State Supreme Court case, Ernest was the one who fired the shot into the home of the Youngbloods, near Doyle, TN. (Bristol Herald Courier – February 21, 1924)

1922 – July 22 (continued November 23, 1922) – Public Drunkenness.

1923 – May 16 – Continuation of Assault with Intent to Commit Murder in First Degree, also Carrying a Pistol.

On May 16, 1923, the record says “Defendant serving Federal sentence. Case continued to next term. I do not know what the Federal sentence was about. Zollie Wright, one of the co-defendants in this case had died by this time.

1923 – September 10 – Alius Capias issued for the arrest of the defendant, Ernest Price.

Alias Capias = a warrant issued when a felony defendant fails to appear before the court and the defendant cannot be released by posting a bond. Capias = body

Ernest’s father, Allen Price, was surety for Ernest in a previous Public Drunkenness case. Ernest failed to appear and his father had to forfeit the bond of $250.

1923 — September 17 – Decision on Assault to Commit Murder case. Ernest and Clarence were found guilty and fined $500 each and 11 months and 29 days in jail or the county workhouse. On the 18th they put in a motion for a new trial. On the 19th an arrest of judgment appeal was made to the TN Supreme Court.

1924 – January 15-16 – Recognizance Bond. Apparently for the former public drunkenness case. Defendant paid the forfeiture bond, $250 I assume.

1924 – January 18 – Carrying a Pistol.

1924 – February 12 – Warren County, TN Circuit Court “Violating the Age of Consent” Case

For some reason, this “Age of Consent” case was tried in Warren County (McMinnville, TN), even though the plaintiff and the defendant were both from White County. Ernest was convicted and sentenced to a three to ten years’ sentence for engaging in sex with an underage girl. After the sentence was given, the girl spoke up and asked the judge to pardon him because he was not guilty. She claimed that she was guilty and had lied on the witness stand under pressure. The case was referred to the TN State Supreme Court and Governor Austin Peay issued a pardon.

I won’t mention the girl’s name, but she was from White County. She was not Sarah Davis who was with Ernest in the car when Hugh Lowery was killed. And she was not the Haston woman who is mentioned in Part 3 of this story

About 70 days after Ernest figuratively-speaking “dodged the bullet” in the case above. He shot and killed Hugh Lowery. He would have been better off to have been serving that three to ten years sentence in prison.

On April 23, 2024 Ernest Price shot and killed Revenue Officer Hugh Thomas Lowery. From that point on, Ernest was not in court in White County, TN ever again. But his name is mentioned several times again in the White County, TN Circuit Court records in connection with the continuation of some of his cases.

1924 – May 15 – The State of Tennessee vs. Ernest Price (Indictment 468), Murder in the First Degree

1924 – September 11 – Final Judgment on Previous Public Drunkenness. Apparently, Allen Price (father of Ernest) had to pay an additional $500 to cover a bond he signed assuring the court that Ernest would appear in court on the public drunkenness charge. Ernest’s father paid a total of $750 for surety bonds he signed for his son.

One of Daniel Haston’s G-G-G Granddaughters played a major role in the post-shooting drama.

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Part 1 – Shooting Death of Revenue Officer, Hugh Lowery

Part 1 - Deadly Encounter With Bootleggers in White County, TN

One of Daniel Haston’s G-G-G Granddaughters played a major role in the post-shooting drama.

100 Years Ago – A White County, TN Murder Was in the News Across the Country

Along the west side of Highway 70 East, a half mile or so below the famous Sunset Rock on Bon Air Mountain, most White County Tennessee folks have seen this memorial marker. Some old timers know the story, or at least some version of the story. Many others, especially younger passersby, have seen the stone dozens if not hundreds of times and still do not know why it is there. Well, here’s the story as told largely in newspapers shortly after Revenue Agent Hugh T. Lowery’s death, with some additional comments that have been passed down through the shooter’s family.

Original Hugh T. Lowery Memorial

The monument in the photo below was erected at a spring (approximately 1/2 mile down the mountain from Wildcat Falls) on the east side of Highway 70 E where people stopped to get a drink, but the shooting did NOT occur here. Hugh Lowery was shot about four miles east of the monument, near DeRossett. This original monument was removed when a new road was created up the mountain. The small memorial stone (photo above) on the west side of Highway 70 E was erected to replace the original monument. It is located across the current road from the first and more elaborate monument. The spring is no longer visible.

Who was Hugh T. Lowery?

What Happened on the Afternoon of April 23, 1924?

According to a Variety of Newspaper Reports (Source: Newspapers.com)

“Several men” were alleged to have drawn guns on citizens and were driving drunk on what locally is known as Bon Air Mountain. I don’t know, but I assume these threatening shenanigans occurred at or near the company store owned and operated by the Bon Air Coal and Iron Company.
On complaint from these citizens, Federal Revenue Agent Hugh T. Lowery and A.M. Phillips attempted to arrest these men.

A.M. Phillips was the manager of the Bon Air Coal and Iron Company’s store in Bon Air. One source says Lowery “enforced the law in Bon Air, DeRossett, Clifty, Eastland, and Ravenscroft for the Bon Air Coal and Iron Corporation.” A local legend claims that Lowery deputized Phillips and they drove a 1920 Ford owned by Phillips, perhaps similar to the 1920 Model T Ford Coupe in this image. Lowery’s daughter has stated that they were in her father’s 1920 Ford.

Lowery and Phillips overtook a car driven by Ernest Price near DeRossett, between the communities of Bon Air and DeRossett, east of Sparta, TN on Highway 70.
It turned out that the car these men (three of them) and a woman were in was loaded with illegal whiskey. “It is alleged that the men and woman were all drinking.” “Were all intoxicated, according to officers.”
One of the men, Ernest Price (age 28, said to be a bootlegger), stepped out of his car and opened fire on Lowery and Phillips.
One bullet struck Lowery “in the hip” (abdomen, actually–see death certificate below) which severed an artery, resulting in Lowery (“almost immediately”) bleeding to death.
Ernest Seals, Everett Rowland, and Sarah Davis were with Ernest Price at the time of the shooting.
Price’s companions loaded Lowery in their car and took him to Sparta, presumably to a doctor. One article says Lowery died “before reaching Sparta.” Other articles say he died “almost instantly” (after he was shot).
Seals and Rowland were held as witnesses in jail in Sparta.
Price fled the scene of the shooting making threats as to what he would do if any man attempted to arrest him. Another reported summed it up this way: “Price lives at Doyle about 30 miles from here and left in that direction with a pistol in his hand.” “Men who know Price declare that it is improbable that he will be taken alive.”
One article stated that Price had a police record and was married. Both of these assertions will be explored in posts following this one.
The citizens of DeRossett offered a reward of $250 or the capture of Price. The Bon Air Coal & Iron Company also offered a reward of $250. Later, Governor Peay authorized a $200 reward to be paid by the State of Tennessee.

Another Version Supposedly From a Newspaper Clipping Found in the Lowery Family Bible

There are several significant pieces of information in the following version of the Hugh Lowery story that contradict the newspaper stories written soon after the shooting, most notably concerning where the incident happened. The newspaper articles all agree that the shooting took place in or near DeRossett. The site where the monument was placed was approximately four miles west from the Officer Lowery was shot. The monument was probably placed at the spring because that is where passersby stopped and rested, making it more likely that people would read the inscription and learn the story. But it definitely has led people to assume this is where Hugh Lowery was killed. It certainly fooled me for 70 years or so.

This version of the story of Hugh T. Lowery’s death was introduced in the source I found, with these words: “This copy from an old newspaper clipping that was found in the Lowery family Bible. It is believed to be from a Rockwood (TN) newspaper. The date was April 24, 1924.” But some of the “facts” in this version seemingly occurred after the newer (current) Bon Air Mountain Road was constructed, replacing the previous road.

Did Hugh Lowery live long enough for him to give his statement to Judge Harry Camp in Sparta? You don’t get that impression from other accounts. However, read the statement by Hugh Lowery’s 10 year old (at the time) daughter, below.

As you go up Bon Air Mountain, before you reach Sunset Rock is a monument. It is the second monument to be placed at that site…the first one was torn down to make way for the new road to be built. The monument was given by the citizens of Bon Air and the Bon Air Coal and Iron Corporation in memory of Hugh T. Lowery. The first monument was a site where travelers would stop and take a break. There was a spring that fed the fountain around the monument, so people would get a cool drink while they rested. Hugh T. Lowery was a lawman who apparently died at the hands of a bootlegger whom he was trying to arrest. He was 44 years old. He enforced the law for Bon Air, DeRossett, Clifty, Eastland, and Ravenscroft for the Bon Air Coal and Iron Corporation.

Legend says that Lowery deputized Maddin Phillips and the two drove Phillips’ 1920 Ford up toward Bon Air from Sparta. They were looking for two men and a woman who were reportedly driving drunk and carrying whiskey in the card.

The two had stopped around the site where we now see the monument. They had spotted the drunks’ car parked on the road. One of the men hid behind a boulder and opened fire on the lawmen. Bullets from his gun struck Lowery in the abdomen. The shooter high-tailed it on foot. Deputy Phillips panicked and left his car to go get help. The gunman’s two companions put the wounded Lowery into their car and carried him to Sparta.

This was a time when there was not a hospital in town. So Lowery was taken to a doctor’s office…a Dr. Richardson’s (A.F. Richards). The people who brought Lowery told the investigators that they had simply found Lowery on the road wounded and bleeding.

Before Lowery died, he identified the shooter as Ernest Price. Judge Harry Camp, who had an office next door to the doctor took Lowery’s statement which is still on record.

There was a massive search with bloodhounds and many lawmen. Legend is the assailant was never found. Rumors have said that Price escaped and went out of state. He returned to Sparta on occasion never detected. Fifty-nine years later, Lowery was awarded the “Medal of Honor” by the America Police Hall of Fame. His name now resides in the Police Hall of Fame.

The funeral of the slain officer at Bethlehem cemetery, south of Sparta, was one of the most largely attended in the history of White County and fully attested the esteem in which the deceased was held and the indignation which his killing has aroused throughout White County and this entire section of the state. The funeral sermon was preached by Elder J.D. Gunn of Sparta, who paid an eloquent and feeling tribute to the slain officer.

And, for what it’s worth and whatever it means…

One of Daniel Haston’s G-G-G Granddaughters played a major role in the post-shooting drama.

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Spencer Town Spring

The Site That Became Spencer, TN

Baptismal pool at the town spring in Spencer, TN in about 1915-17. The woman is Inez Woodlee Isom. -Photo provided by Marr Temples

Original Name of the Site that Became Spencer, Tennessee

On Monday, April 6, 1840, Van Buren County Court met for the first time. At that time, no location had been designated for the county seat, so the meeting was held in the home of William Worthington in the Laurel Cove community near the border of Warren County.

On April 30, 1840, a county-wide election was conducted “for the purpose of electing a suitable site for the county seat of Van Buren County, with Elijah Drakes and Cummings Springs as the two options.

In the June 1, 1840 county court session, which again met at William Worthington’s house, David Haston and son Isham B. Haston became members of the Van Buren County Court. Laurel Cove was “over the mountain” (southwest of where the Hastons lived) and very inconvenient to them and others from the northern part of the county. David made the motion that they move the county court meetings to Cummings Springs (later named Spencer), but his motion was overruled 10 to 4. Apparently, the April 30 election results had not yet been tabulated.

One month later, in the July 6, 1840 session, the election results were presented and Cummings Springs won by a majority vote. From the court record from this session, it appears the county seat was already named Spencer, even though the location of this named county seat town had not yet been determined.

The Spencer Town Spring in March 2024

This historic site deserves a historical marker on Sparta Street in Spencer. And wouldn’t it be great to have it restored to its original pump-less pool condition, with a road down to it and a clearing around it?

Water Pump (which was added later) Now Exposed

Water Pipe (back left corner) Carried Water Up to the Jail (and restaurant later)

Getting a Drink in Spencer, TN, But Not What You Might Think

A Town Well Story by Hoyte Cook

The little town of Spencer, Tennessee lies atop the Cumberland Plateau, around 1800 feet above sea level, at the intersection of Highways 30 and 111. Those steep and, in some cases, crooked roads enable views of some spectacular scenery.

Spencer is an old town, small, and quiet. Just about everybody who lives there knows just about everybody else, along with at least a century of their genealogy and the skeletons in their closets.

Many of the citizens can remember when there were only two telephones in Spencer, one at Doc Yack’s drug store and one at the sheriff’s office. But folks made do. If you wanted to talk by telephone with somebody in Spencer, you could call the sheriff’s office, state the name of the person you wanted to speak with and the sheriff would go get them and bring them to the phone.

There is not a single traffic light in Spencer, but there are speed limit signs that one would be well advised to heed. The LAW in this place has a reputation for prompt action, especially for pouncing on speeding drivers, purveyors of illegal whiskey, and, in recent years, possessors of illegal drugs.

And speaking of illegal whiskey, the said LAW has established a legendary record of confiscating it, beginning in the Prohibition era and continuing right up through the 1940s and 50s. Bad whiskey, commonly referred to as “rot-gut,” was usually poured out by the sheriff’s department and/or revenue agents soon following its seizure. Sheriff Claud Baker once said he kept some of the rot-gut on hand to wash his feet in. But all the seized whiskey was not bad stuff; some of it was good stuff which was retained by the sheriff’s department as “evidence” (or “medicine”). Not many people outside the sheriff’s department knew about this retained evidence. And plenty of people can remember “making do” with outhouses and unreliable private wells before Spencer finally got public water and sewer service. However, if the well went dry or its water became foul there was the well-known fall-back option–haul water from the Town Spring. At the county courthouse, with its public offices and usual number of visitors, the lack of ready drinking water had been a long-standing nagging problem. The complete history of coping with this nagging problem was not recorded, but it appears that in the 1930s the county court authorized a well to be hand-dug in the courthouse yard. The fellow who got the handshake contract to dig the well was a former deputy sheriff, who also just happened to be aware of certain retained evidence.

On a warm summer day, the contractor (a former deputy that I’ll refer to as “Rocky”) and two men he had hired broke ground and went about the task of digging the courthouse well, two men digging and the third man operating the cradle hoist to haul dirt out of the hole. The work went on for several days. Spectators naturally stopped by to monitor the project, one being the county sheriff who, ever eager to be helpful, saw to it that jars of drinking water from the Town Spring were periodically lowered down to the diggers via the cradle hoist. If the diggers happened to look up they frequently saw the sheriff peering down at them, obviously admiring their work, and eager to be helpful. The contractor (Rocky) eventually hollered up at the sheriff, and said, to effect: “If you are gonna be sending these fruit jars down to us, how about filling a couple of of them with some of that good evidence you store over at the jail.” The sheriff pondered the request, considered the former deputy’s likely knowledge of the evidence, and, ever eager to be helpful, walked across the street to the jail complex, and filled Rocky’s order. The two diggers, having adapted to the nice cool atmosphere down in the hole, leisurely consumed the evidence and continued digging. When they were finally hoisted out of the nice cool hole and encountered the warm summer air, both well diggers strangely settled to the grass and fell sound asleep. The assembled spectators were baffled. It was likely reasoned and agreed upon that they were dead tired from the hard work.

The hand-dug well appears to have sufficed for a few years, but it eventually went dry or foul. The county court in due time authorized the installation of a pipeline and pump to deliver water to an outdoor hydrant at the courthouse from the Spencer Town Spring. And Rocky, the former deputy sheriff, ever eager to be helpful, was awarded another handshake contract to carry out the mission.

The distance from the Town Spring to the proposed hydrant at the courthouse was stepped off at about two hundred and fifty yards. From the Town Spring the pipeline route would run through some woods, up an old dirt road, passing the jail complex, crossing the street, and crossing a piece of the courthouse yard to stub up at the hydrant. Rocky had determined that mechanized trenching equipment was both costly and hard to find, so he went looking for help to hand-dig the trench for the pipeline. Good help was also costly and hard to find. There was one fellow, who, although usually booked solid to do farm labor, was known to rearrange his schedule and make himself available if the money was right and if some whiskey could also be made available. (Good whiskey was harder to find than trenching machinery. You had to go to Nashville or Chattanooga to get it legally.) Anyway, Rocky hired the fellow and they went about digging the trench, cutting through roots, breaking up big rocks, and cutting the asphalt to cross the street. On about the third day of hard digging, the trench was almost ready to pass by the sheriff’s quarters and jail complex, which was directly across the street from the courthouse. The hired man, having seen none of the promised whiskey, began to ask about it. Rocky did not yet have the whiskey, but he had a plan.

As the trench digging progressed past the jail complex, the sheriff (not the same sheriff that was always eager to be helpful a few years prior) came out of his quarters to observe the work. The sheriff soon figured out that the contractor’s intent was to run the water line directly to the courthouse without branching it to also serve the sheriff’s quarters and jail complex. He approached Rocky and said, “Look-a-here Rocky, I thought the jail was supposed to get water too. Ain’t you gonna run a pipeline up to the jail?” Rocky replied, “Well Sheriff, nobody said squat to me about running water to the jail. If you want water for the jail, then I guess we need to stop work right here and talk to the county court, and see if they will vote on spending some more money and adding to my contract.”

The idea of going to the county court and asking for more money gave the sheriff heartburn and caused him to look very depressed. But, ever eager to be helpful, Rocky said, “Tell you what Sheriff, you give us two gallons of that good evidence that you keep in storage and we will run you a water line and we won’t bother the county court with petty details.”

The following day the sheriff approached Rocky and said, “When I get out of sight, check out what’s under that tarpaulin over there.” Two gallons of good evidence were discretely removed from under the tarpaulin. The jail got a water line. Spencer carried on business as usual, and eventually became a modern city with public water and sewer service, along with a lot more telephones.

And the Town Spring, that natural resource that gave Spencer, Tennessee reason to begin existence back in the 1840s, is now quietly standing by and available to serve if needed. Its cool clear water flows down the hill and disappears into the woods.

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4 – Major General Max Haston National Guard Armory

A Special Day Honoring Our Cousin, Max Haston

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3 – David Haston & Family in White County, TN

230-Plus Events in the Life of David Haston, Phase 3

David Haston and Family in White County, Tennessee
1806 After November 11	Move to White County, TN: David moved to White County, to join his father Daniel, his brother Joseph, his sisters Catherine [later, Austin] and Lucinda (Mitchell), and perhaps other family members, sometime between November 11, 1806, and February 10, 1808. He had already sold his land, so he may have left Knox County in November after he served as auctioneer for the Jacob Neff estate settlement. This timing is in harmony with a return trip from White County to the Knox County area that his brother, Joseph, may have made. Perhaps Joseph led David to the new Haston home place in White County. Daniel's wife (who was David's mother or stepmother) may have remained in Knox County until this time.
1808 February 10	Road Work Appointment in White County, TN: David was one of the men "...appointed to lay off and mark a road the nearest and best way from where the Chickamogga trace [ancient trail] crosses the White County line on Cumberland Mountain the nearest and best way that leads to Warren County line." This is the first known record of David in White County. Joseph Smith, Isaac Midcalf, David Haston, William Brown, Joseph Cummings, and Joseph H. Creely comprised this road crew. These men all lived in the same general area, along the Caney Fork River. Note: Joseph Haston married Sarah Creely. Source: Original page 41 of abstracts of White County, Tennessee Minute Book 1806-1811.
1808 May 14 June 18, 1808ï»¿	David and Isham Bradley Chain Carriers: David and Isham were chain carriers for Jacob Mitchell's survey of 50 acres on the big spring branch of Cane Creek on May 14, 1808 and for Joseph Haston's survey of 50 acres on June 18, 1808. Source: Tennessee Land Records, RG (Records Group) 50, Box 112, pages 62 & 67.
1808 December 25	Fourth Child (Daniel MC.) Born:* Daniel Mc Haston married (1) Annie Green in 1827 (daughter of John & Rachel Mackey Green; John Green was an elder of the Big Fork Baptist Church) and (2) Martha Jane Wade on June 10, 1839. A published biographical sketch* of his son, J.P. Hastain, says that "In 1834 the family (i.e. Daniel MC's family) removed to Missouri, and first located in Henry County, being among the pioneer settlers there." A similar biographical sketch*** for another son of Daniel Mc. Hastain, P.D. (Pleasant Dawson) Hastain, also states that "Daniel M. Hastain was reared in Tennessee, but came to Missouri in 1834, locating in Henry County. He...became one of the large landowners of that section." This Daniel Hastain died on June 17, 1875 (or 1874 as per the P.D. Haston bio sketch) in Henry County, MO. In Missouri, the spelling of Haston was changed to Hastain. Sources: David Haston's Bible records; NSDAR record #108279. Page 1133 of History of St. Clair County Missouri (Published 1883 by the National Historical Company). Page 440 of Biographical Records of Johnson and Pettis Counties, Missouri (published in 1895 by Chapman Publishing Company of Chicago; F 472, JE P8 in Library of Congress) Notes: The Thomas J. Hastain, W.T. Hastain, & two Woodson A. Hastain biographical entries on the Henry County, MO RootsWeb.Ancestry.com site provide several interesting references to Daniel M. (or McC. or McCumskey) Hastain. Daniel MC Hasting appeared on the 1832 White County, TN tax list, apparently living near his father-in-law (John Green) in the Lost Creek area of upper Hickory Valley. He owned 50 aces. His name was clearly written as "Daniel MC." He also appeared on the 1833 & 1834 tax lists for the same area. Move to Henry County, MO* Rev. Henry Avery was the first white permanent settler in the area that became Henry County, MO. He married Elizabeth Green, daughter of John Green (Greene) of White County, TN. John Green was a minister of the Big Fork Baptist Church for many years. This means that Rev. Henry Avery and Daniel M.C. Haston (who later changed surname spelling to Hastain) married sisters, daughters of John Green. Shortly after Henry Avery settled in Henry County, MO, Daniel M.C. Haston apparently joined him. William M. Doyle (son of James H. Doyle who lived very near the Big Fork Baptist Church) also went to Henry County, MO with the Avery family. Rev. Henry Avery was a pioneer hero and cherished Baptist minister in early Henry County, MO. Source: Pages 492-496 of The History of Henry and St. Clair Counties, Missouri (St. Joseph, MO: National Historical Company, 1883). There are numerous other references to Rev. Henry Avery in this book. Settlement of (Rev.) John Green's Estate When Daniel MC Haston's father-in-law, John Green, died in the early 1850s, it appears that Daniel MC Haston traveled from Henri [Henry] County, MO (where he then lived) back to White County, TN to claim the inheritance for various heirs of John Green. These heirs were scattered in Missouri, California, & the Oregon Territory. These heirs were probably his (David MC Haston's) children. Primary Source: Recorded in "An Old Book in White County Courthouse--Powers of Attorney, Guardians, Etc." (as of 2003, the location of this book was unknown by White County, TN records guardians); Secondary Source: Frame #002129 of microfilm AC # 1421-3 of the Charles Leonard Papers from TSLA. The information is said to also be in the White County, TN Chancery Court records for 1854-1857. Daniel MC Haston/Hastain - Per Howard H. Hastingï»¿
1809 February 13	Grand Jury Duty: David was a member of "the Grand Jury empannelled and sworn for the County of White." Isham Bradley (bondsman for David's marriage in Knox County) was also a member of this jury. Source: Original page 80 of abstracts of White County, Tennessee Minute Book 1806-1811ï»¿.
1809 February 15	Witnessed Isham Bradley Land Transaction: David Hastin, Joseph Hastin, Jacob Mitchell, and John Miller were witnesses for a sale of 50 acres that Isham Bradley made to Charles Mitchell for $400. The land was on the Big Spring Branch. Isham Bradley earlier acquired the land from the state of TN through Grant # 529. Source: Page 69 of Volume B of Deeds, White Co, TN.
1809 February 15	David Purchased Land in White County, TN: David purchased 50 acres of land from his brother Joseph for $200, on the same day that they both witnessed the Isham Bradley to Charles Mitchell deal (see above). Joseph had acquired this land through TN land grant # 550. The land adjoined property owned by Isham Bradley, Jacob Mitchell, and Daniel, his father. Isham Bradley, Charles Mitchell, and John Miller witnessed the transaction. Source: Pages 107-109, Volume B, Deeds of White Co, TN Indenture for February 15, 1809.
1809 August 15ï»¿	Jury Duty: David's name appears four times in this day's court minutes, related to various court cases for which he served as a juryman. Source: Original pages 111-113 of abstracts of White County, Tennessee Minute Book 1806-1811.
1809 November 14	Joseph to David Land Purchase "Proven" in Court: The 50-acre purchase of land that David made from his brother, Joseph, was "proven in court by the oaths of Isham Bradley and Charles Mitchell and admitted to record." It was registered at this time, although the deed was recorded on February 15 of the same year (see above). Source: Original page 124 of abstracts of White County, Tennessee Minute Book 1806-1811
1809 November 14	David "Proves" Isham Bradley's Sale of Land to Charles Mitchell: Earlier in this same year, on February 15, David and Jacob Mitchell had witnessed a sale of land from Isham Bradley to Charles Mitchell. As per the November 14 court record, "...this day [the transaction was] proven in open court by the oaths of David Haston and Jacob Mitchell and ordered to be recorded." It was then officially registered. Source: Original page 124 of abstracts of White County, Tennessee Minute Book 1806-1811
1809 November 17	Summoned to Jury Duty for February 1810 Session: David was summoned as one of the "persons to attend at the Court house in said County [of White] on the second Monday in February next to serve as Juror." Among the others summoned were Robert Gamble and John Scoggins (two of the first elders of Union Presbyterian Church), Hercules Ogles, Stephen Crain, Isaac Pruett, Andrew McBride, Christopher Steakley, and Isaac Brown. These men probably lived near the Hastons. Source: Original page 134 of abstracts of White County, Tennessee Minute Book 1806-1811
1810 February 12	Jury Duty: As per the earlier summons (November 17, 1809), David reported for jury duty in this February 1810 County Court session but there is no evidence that he was actually impanelled as a juryman from among the larger group summoned. Source: Original page 136 of abstracts of White County, Tennessee Minute Book 1806-1811.
1810 February 13	Road Work Assignment: It was "Ordered by Court that Joseph Smith, Esqr. David Haston, William Preuitt, Henry Holt, and Jacob Mitchell be appointed to review and straighten the present road leading from Bledsoe County to Warren County to commence at a point near David Haston's field and to intersect the present road East of Joseph Smith's at the most convenient place and make report thereof to the next Court, and the same is ordered accordingly." So, we know that this Bledsoe County to Warren County road ran by David Haston's field. Source: Original page 144 of abstracts of White County, Tennessee Minute Book 1806-1811.
1810 May 15	Road Assignment Report: "Present to an order of this Court at February term 1810 for reviewing and straightening the road leading from David Haston's to intersect the road East of Joseph Smith, the reviewers for that purpose appointed this day exhibited their report which was received and established. It is, therefore by the Court ordered that the Overseer of the old road, do open and keep in repair the road as marked by the reviewers aforesaid and that the usual hands to ____ the same, and it is ordered accordingly &/c. Source: Original pages 156-157 of abstracts of White County, Tennessee Minute Book 1806-1811.
1810 May 16ï»¿	Summoned to September 1810 Circuit Court Jury Duty: David was "named to attend as Jurors at the Honorable the Circuit Court for to be holden in the County of White at the Court house in Sparta on the first Monday in September next." In addition to David, some of the others summoned were John Bryan, William Burden, John White, Nicholas Gillentine, Isaac Medcalf, and Joseph Smith. Source: Original page 162 of abstracts of White County, Tennessee Minute Book 1806-1811.
1810 May 19	Road Work Appointment: It was "Ordered by the Court that Jacob Stipe, David Haston, Jacob Mitchell, William Brown, Christopher Steakley, Spencer Mitchell, and Nicholas Gillentine be appointed to review lay off and Mark a road the nearest and best way from David McDaniels passing by John Whites so as to intersect a road leading by Joseph Smiths, East of where he lives and the same is ordered accordingly." Source: Original page 177 of abstracts of White County, Tennessee Minute Book 1806-1811.
1810 November 13	Road Work Report: On November 13, 1810, it was "Ordered by Court that the road reviewed and marked from David McDaniels passing by John Whites so as to entersect a road leading by Joseph Smith's East of his residence be established and the same is ordered accordingly. David's name doesn't appear in the abstract for this entry, but he was part of this road crew as assigned on May 19 of the same year. Source: Original page 197 of abstracts of White County, Tennessee Minute Book 1806-1811.
1810 or 1811	David Was a Church Clerk: "The Cumberland Presbyterian congregation met in Old Union Church which was organized about 1811 by Rev. William Barnett. Spence Mitchell, Robert Gamble, and Jesse Scoggins were the first elders, and David Haston was the first clerk." (See the locations on the map below of Old Union and David Haston's home place.) Source of the above quotation: Page 174 of Heritage of White County, 1806-1999 (Waynesville, NC: County Heritage, Inc., 1999. Primary source (from which the Heritage of White County information was taken): Minutes of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Union Congregation, White Co. Tenn. A September 1, 1883 entry summarized the congregation's history. The church clerk who wrote this entry was C.T. (Charles Thomas) Haston, the grandson of David Haston and son of William Carroll Haston. ---- Note 1: This church was situated just across from and north of the Caney Fork River from where the early Hastons lived. The date for the founding of this church is sometimes given as 1810. An 1898 source* says that "Both David and Margaret Haston of Van Buren were active members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and before a house of worship was erected in their community, services were often held in their home." This reference may indicate that the Old Union church got its start in David's home, or in his home and the homes of other early settlers. Since David and Peggy arrived in White County by (at least) early 1809 (possibly in the final weeks of 1806), the church may have roots even earlier than 1810. *Source: Page 272 of Memorial and Biographical Record of the Cumberland Region (Chicago: Ogle and Co., 1898). Note 2: It is interesting that the Big Fork Baptist Church existed at this time and was much closer to the Haston family (and did not require crossing the Caney Fork River) than the Presbyterian church that was located north of the Caney Fork River on land owned by Spencer Mitchell. There is evidence that some members of Daniel Haston's family were affiliated with Baptist churches back in Virginia as well as in East Tennessee. Did David Haston, and perhaps other family members, align with Presbyterians while they were in Knox County? The Presbyterians were definitely the majority denomination at that time in Knox County.
1811ï»¿	The First White County, TN Census (List of Taxable Inhabitants): David Hastin and Joseph Hastin appeared in the list for Captain Isaac Pruett's* Company of Militia as taken and returned by Joseph Smith, Esq. on January 1, 1812. Daniel's name does not appear on this list. Daniel was too old to be considered a "taxable inhabitant" on the militia census. One transcribed source (Pioneers of White Co, TN by W.J.H. Phillips; TN 976.89 White PHI) says that these names are David Harton and Joseph Hastin, but the original document clearly reads "David Hastin" and "Joseph Hastin." Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1811-1815 / 1821-1825; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books) ---- *Captain Isaac Pruett, very probably the same man who witnessed David's sale of Knox County land just a few years earlier (see the September 11, 1806 entry)
1811	White County, TN Tax List: David Hastin appeared on this list of taxable property and polls, in the bounds of Captain Isaac Pruett's militia company. He owned 50 acres "by grant" on Caney Fork. His total tax bill for the year was .75, which included .18 3/4 for "State Tax" and 56 1/4 for "County Tax." He was charged for one "white poll," but was not charged for any "black polls" (owned no slaves), nor "steed horses," nor "retail stores," nor "town lots." Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1811-1815 / 1821-1825; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books) ---- Note: One transcribed source (Pioneers of White Co, TN by W.J.H. Phillips (TN 976.89 White PHI); found in the White Co, TN public library) spells the name "Daniel Hartin" and has Joseph's name as "Joseph Hastin" and David's as "David Hartin." In the original source, the surname spellings seem to be consistent as "Hastin." Note: From the White County, TN tax lists we learn that none of the early White County Hastons (Daniel, David, Joseph, & Isaac) ever owned slaves, although their neighbors sometimes did.
1811 February 15ï»¿	Appointed to Appraise Property Values: It was "Ordered by Court that the following persons be appointed to value property To wit: ...David Haston, Thomas Meek and John Ogle in the bounds of Capt Joseph Smith's Company." Source: Original page 231 of abstracts of White County, Tennessee Minute Book 1806-1811
1811 March 14ï»¿	Fifth Child (Isham Bradley) Born:* Isham Bradley Haston (later changed to Hastain) married Rebecca Streakley (Steakley) on October 9, 1834. Isham B. Haston became one of the early Justices of the Peace for Van Buren County, TN, very soon after its founding in 1840.** He died February 16, 1867, in Hickory County, MO. In 1850 he was living in the same district of Hickory County, MO where his namesake, Isham Bradley, lived in the early 1840s. Source:* David Haston's Bible records; **Sources: Page 1 of Van Buren County TN Court Minutes, April 1840 session, and page 11 of the same source, June 1840 session. He was a Judge in Hickory County, MO in 1862. Source: Page 240 of Goodspeed's History of Hickory County, MO (1889).
1811 August 12	Paid for One Day of Jury Duty: It was ordered by the Court that David Haston (among others for various amounts of jury duty) should be paid for a 1d (one day) juror ticket. It appears that payment for one day of jury duty was worth about 85 cents. Source: Original page 278 of abstracts of White County, Tennessee Minute Book 1806-1811.
1812 January 15	David Witnessed a Sale of Land: David Haston, Woodson P. White, and William Glenn witnessed a sale of 100 acres of Grant # 3496 by Nathan Woods to Margaret Boyed (spelling?). Source: Page 108 of Volume D, Deeds of White County, TN. ----- Note: Woodson P. White was the son of John White, (supposedly, but not likely) the first white settler in White County, TN. The county, it has been (traditionally) believed, was named after John White, although I think that is doubtful. The Whites lived across (that is, north of) the Caney Fork River from the Haston families. As "the crow flies" only a mile or so separated the Whites and the Hastons. John White, also a Revolutionary War veteran, claimed to have been born in Amelia County, VA.
1812 January 16ï»¿	David Purchased More Land: David purchased 50 acres from Charles Mitchell for $610. This was the same tract of land (TN Grant # 529) that Isham Bradley had sold to Mitchell (for $400) on September 26, 1808. David Haston was a witness to the Bradley to Mitchell deal (see above). It was located in the 3rd District on Big Springs Branch. Source: Page 50 of Volume E, Deeds of White County, TN.
1812 February 10	Appointed Road Crew Overseer: It was "Ordered by Court that David Hastin be appointed overseer of the road leading from Sequache to McMinnville, from the top of the Mountain near Cranes, to the house of a Joseph Smith, and that Nicholas Gillentine Esqr. furnish a list of hands to work there on, and that he keeps the same in repair as the law required. -Issd. Feby.18th, 1812." Source: Original page 61 of WPA abstracts of 1811-1812 White County, Tennessee Court Minutes. (There appear to be two different records for this entry on back-to-back pages.)
1812 February 15ï»¿	Summoned to Jury Duty at Next Court Session: David Hastin and some of his neighbors, John White, John Scoggins, Jnr., and Isaac Brown, were "appointed as Jurors to attend the Next term of this Court." Source: Original page 110 of WPA abstracts of 1811-1812 White County, Tennessee Court Minutes.
1812 May 11	Appointed to Road Work Crew: It was "Ordered by Court that Thomas Bronson be appointed overseer of the road from Robert Gamble to Joseph Smith and that he keep the same in repair agreeable to law and that Nicholas Gillentine and Joseph Smith Esqr. be appointed to apportion the hands, amongst said Thomas Bronson, David Hastin, and John Hill, so as to keep in order their respective roads, and it is ordered accordingly." Source: Original page 119 of WPA abstracts of 1811-1812 White County, Tennessee Court Minutes.
1812 August 10	Purchased 50 Acres: On this day Charles Mitchell conveyed 50 acres of land to David Hastin. The conveyance "Was this day proven in open Court by the oaths of Nicholas Gillentine and Nathan Woods." This was probably the same tract of land that Isham Bradley sold to Charles Mitchell in 1809. Source: Original page 185 of WPA abstracts of 1811-1812 White County, Tennessee Court Minutes.
1812 August 10 or 11	Authorized to Purchase Road Work Tools: It was "Ordered by Court David Hastin, John Hill, and Peter Carter Overseer of the road leading from Sequache Valley to the Warren County line, be authorised [sic] to procure one Sledge Hammer, one crow bar, and one set of blowing tools, for the purpose of removing the rocks out of said road..." Source: Original page 203 of WPA abstracts of 1811-1812 White County, Tennessee Court Minutes.
1812 November 5ï»¿	David Witnessed Another Land Transaction: Joseph Cummings, David Haston, and Nathan Woods witnessed a sale of 50 acres land by John Smallman (Smallwood?) to Nicholas Gillentine. It was located in the 1st District, 1st Range, and 10th Section on the south side of Caney Fork in Beech Cove. On the 9th day of this same month, David "proved" this deed by oath in open court. Source: Page 73 of Volume E, Deeds of White County, TN (on microfilm roll White County, TN #61 from TSLA).
1812	White County, TN Tax List: Daniel Hastin, David Hastin, and Joseph Hastin appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in the bounds of Captain Isaac Pruett's Company of Militia. The listing was taken by Joseph Smith, Esq. David's total tax was .50 (.25 for state tax and for county tax). It seems that the county tax rate dropped from the previous year, despite having doubled the size of his farm. His land holdings had increased to 100 acres, from 50 acres. Again, he was charged for one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1811-1815 / 1821-1825; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books) Online reference: White County, TN 1812 Tax List (microfilm roll 123, book 1812).
1813	Signed Two Contradictory Petitions: David Haston signed a petition from Peter Hoodenpile to the TN General Assembly to be permitted to create a toll turnpike from Bledsoe County into White, Warren, and other counties of TN. Source: 28-3-1831 1-3 of 1812-1813 TN Legislative Petitions (TSLA Legislative Petitions Microfilm # 4) In the same year, David Haston signed a petition from the citizens of White County, TN to the TN General Assembly to overturn the earlier petition by Peter Hoodenpile to build a toll turnpike from Bledsoe County courthouse across the Cumberland Mountain. The person who drafted the petition apparently transcribed all of the signatures into his own handwriting. No specific date is stated in the document. Source: 21-3-1831 1-4 of 1812-1813 TN Legislative Petitions (TSLA Legislative Petitions Microfilm # 4)
1813 February 8	Sixth Child (Thomas C.) Born:* Information on Thomas C. Haston was discovered in the late 1990s. He married Margaret __?__ and left Tennessee for Missouri after the 1850 census. After Margaret died he remarried in Butler County, MO in 1852. He died in 1853. His two older sons moved to St. Francois County, MO. The two youngest children went to unrelated families in Arkansas. We do not know what happened to the two middle children.** Source:* David Haston's Bible records; Source:** Sherry Mirkovic
1813	White County, TN Tax List: Daniel Hastin, David Hastin, and Joseph Hastin appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in the bounds of Captain Isaac Pruett's Company of Militia. The listing was taken by Nicholas Gillentine, Esq. David's total tax was 1.00. Three additional taxes (county purposes tax, court house tax, & poor tax) were added this year. He still had 100 acres, listed as being on Big Spring. Again, he was only charged for one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1811-1815 / 1821-1825; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books)
1814 November 13 to May 13, 1815	War of 1812 Substitute: David chose not to go to war in the War of 1812. He was 37 years old and had six children to feed by 1814. Instead, he paid William Jones to go in his place. That was a perfectly honorable and legal thing to do at the time. William Jones enlisted in November of 1812. The record reads: J [for alphabetical listing] 3 [for 3rd Regiment] (Roulston's) W. Tenn. Militia William Jones, Pvt, Capt. Daniel Newman's Company, 3 Reg't Tenn. Militia (War of 1812.) Appears on Company Muster Roll for Nov. 13, 1814, when mustered into service, to May 13, 1815. Remarks and alterations since last muster: Substitute in the room of David Heaston 22 Nov, 1814. Another record shows he was paid 8 dollars per month (48 dollars total). The dates and the regiment match the record of Isaac Haston's War of 1812 service (see the Isaac Haston timeline). Thus, William Jones and Isaac Haston probably enrolled, served, and were discharged together. We know that Isaac participated in the Battle of New Orleans. Daniel Newman, whose unit William and Isaac fought, was a citizen (and militia Captain) in White County, TN. A William Jones witnessed David Haston's sale of 111 acres in Knox County, TN in 1806. Was this the same man? Source: War of 1812 Records for William Jones (available for a fee from Genealogy Quest) ----- Question: Why is there no record of Joseph Haston's participation in the War of 1812, or of a substitute who replaced him?
1814	White County, TN Tax List: Daniel Hastin, David Hastin, and Joseph Hastin appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in the bounds of Captain Isaac Pruett's Company of Militia. The listing was taken by Nicholas Gillentine, Esq. David's total tax was .56 1/4. The three additional taxes (county purposes tax, court house tax, & poor tax) that were added in the previous year no longer existed. He still had 100 acres, listed as being on Big Spring. Again, he was charged only for one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1811-1815 / 1821-1825; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books)
1815 May 9	Seventh Child (David Machlin/Macklin Haston) Born:* David Mc. Haston married Parmeely Creely and died before 1900. This son of David, Sr. and Peggy Haston was commonly referred to as David MC (or Mc.) Haston. For example, "David M.C. Haston" appears on the 1836 White County, TN tax list in District 15, where his father lived. He owned no land and this was the first appearance of his name on the tax list, that I have found. In 1836, he would have become 21 years old. He appears frequently in the early Van Buren County court minutes until July 1851. His daughter's obituary (see below) says she "came to Missouri with her parents in 1853" and they settled and resided in Hickory County, MO for about six years before moving to St. Francois County, MO, and settling near the county seat, Farmington, MO. Farmington was about 75 miles southwest of St. Louis and in the "Lead Belt" region in Missouri. The full middle name abbreviated by MC was a mystery for many years, but the discovery of a death certificate for one of his daughters solved that mystery: The death certificate of David MC Haston's daughter, Margaret Clementine Hasting Chapman (1850-1911), indicates that her father's name was David Machlin (or Macklin?) Hasting and her mother was Permela Crealy (Permelia Creely). The name of Margaret's father as it appears on her birth certificate:** The MC in his name may have given him in honor of William Machlin IV, the first Secretary of State and Adjutant-General for Tennessee whom his father may have known in Knoxville, or David Wilson McLin, a popular Cumberland Presbyterian minister who was probably an acquaintance of David Haston, Sr. Source:* David Haston's Bible records; Source** File No. 7780 from Missouri State Board of Health, place of her death St. Francois County, Marion Township, date of her death February 17, 1911
1815	White County, TN Tax List: Daniel Hastin, David Hastin, Joseph Hastin, and Isaac Hastin appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in the bounds of Captain William Denny's Company. The listing was taken by N. Gillentine, Esq. David's total tax was .62 1/2. The poor tax returned this year. He still had 100 acres, listed as being on Big Spring. Again, he was charged for one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1811-1815 / 1821-1825; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books)
1816ï»¿	White County, TN Tax List: Daniel Hastin, David Hastin, Joseph Hastin, and Isaac Hastin appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in the bounds of Captain William Denny's Company of Militia. The listing was taken by Nicholas Gillentine, Esq. David's total tax was .62 1/2. David still owned the 100 acres on Big Spring. Again, he was charged for one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1816-1818; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books)
1817 September 20	Eighth Child (Loucinda L.) Born:* Loucinda L. Haston was either married to an unknown Mr. Moore or had an illegitimate child (Edward Cyrus Moore Haston) by him. This child was reared by David and Peggy Haston when she married Abraham Greenville Trogden, Sr. (born 1805 in Ohio; died before December 4, 1854) in Van Buren County, TN, soon after the death of Mr. Trogden's first wife, Mary K. Hinds. Mary K. Hinds Trogden died in 1849, leaving Abraham (Sr.) with a large family and an infant child, Abraham Greenville Trogden (Jr.) who was born on August 4, 1849. Loucinda died on December 2, 1902 in Maxwell, (of Franklin County), TN. In the 1900 Warren County, TN census, Loucinda stated that she was the mother of one child born, and no children living. Source:* David Haston's Bible records ---- Note: This Loucinda, daughter of David & Peggy Haston, should not be confused with Loucinda Lou Haston, born about 1847. The 1847-born Loucinda Haston was the daughter of Wiley B. Haston (brother of the older Loucinda L. Haston) and Mary Durham, Wiley B's second wife. Thus, she was David and Peggy Haston's granddaughter. This younger Loucinda Lou Haston, daughter of Wiley B. Haston, married Abraham Greenville Trogden, Jr. (b. August 4, 1849), the son of the elder Abraham Trogden (1805-1854). This couple was married in Van Buren Co, TN on April 21, 1870. Source: A.G. Trogdan to Lou Haston, Van Buren Co, TN Marriage Book II, page 16. Lynn Schiller was a major source for this information. See Howard H. Hasting, Sr.'s material for more information on this daughter of David and Peggy Haston.
1817	White County, TN Tax List: Daniel Hasting, David Hasting, Joseph Hasting, and Isaac Hasting appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in Captain Jesse Scoggon's Company of Militia. The listing was taken by William Denny, Esq. David's total tax was 1.34. A bridge tax was assessed this year. He still owned the 100 acres, now being listed as on the Caney Fork. Again, he was charged for one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1816-1818; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books) Note: Apparently a bridge was built at about this time. Did it span the Caney Fork or Cane Creek?
1818	White County, TN Tax List: David Haston, Joseph Haston, and Isaac Haston appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in Captain Scoggon's Company. The listing was taken by William Denny, Esq. Daniel Haston was not mentioned, but Isaac appears on the list with 150 acres. David's total tax was .87 1/2. A court house tax was assessed this year. David's 100 acres was said to have been on Cane Creek. He was charged with one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1816-1818; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books)
1819 October 25	Ninth Child (Margrete [Peggy]) Born:* Nothing more is known about this daughter. (as per Haston Ridge web site) Source:* David Haston's Bible records
1820	Federal Census: A David Hasting household is included on this census. There are three males under the age of 10 [these would have been Isham Bradley, Thomas C., & David Mc], two males between the ages of 10 to 16 [Willie B. & Daniel McComiskey], no males in the age 16 to 26 category, one male (presumably David) in the 26 to 45 age range, and one male over 45 years old. Who was this male that was over 45 years old? It doesn't seem to have been David's father, Daniel, since there was a Daniel Haston household consisting of a male and a female in this over 45 category. If the 1777 birth date is correct, David would have been 43 years old in 1820. David's household also included two females under the age of 10 [Loucinda & Margrete], one female between 10 and 16 [Mary "Polly"], one female in the ages 16 to 26 category [Malinda], one female who was somewhere between 26 and 45 years old (presumably Peggy), and no females over 45 years old. The record indicates that there were no slaves in the household. Although the census does not name the children, it does perfectly account for all nine of David's and Peggy's children born up to this time. The census ages match the dates of birth given in the David Haston family Bible. Source: Federal Census of 1820 for White County, TN
1820 July 18	Appointed to County Court Jury Duty: David Haston appeared in the county court for jury duty and was "elected and sownr [sworn?] as Jury of Grand inquest for the body of the county of white..." David's neighbor, Daniel Dale, was also on this jury. Source: Original page 13 of the WPA abstracts of the White County, Tennessee Minute Book, 1820.
1820 July 22ï»¿	Summoned for Circuit Court Jury Duty: David Haston and others were "summoned as Jurors to attend at the September term of the Circuit..." Source: Original page 80 of the WPA abstracts of the White County, Tennessee Minute Book, 1820.
1821 Januaryï»¿	Appeared on a list of debtors: David Hastings appeared on an inventory of debts owed to a deceased Lawson Nourse, who was one of the earliest physicians in Sparta, TN. He was on the "Good Debt" section of the list for a $2.00 debt. There are approximately 800 names on the list. Source: Page 232 or 262 of Inventory and Wills, 1810-1828; White County, TN (original book in the White Co County Court Clerk Office in Sparta, TN)
1821 August 24	Tenth Child (James W.) Born:* James W. married Jane Shockley on October 14, 1841 in Van Buren County. One source says he died in 1858 in Van Buren County. Source:* David Haston's Bible records Note: James W. Haston was credited with one pole (poll at .80) in the October 1861 court session. Apparently, he was living at that time. Or could he have been credited posthumously for a poll tax that he paid prior to his death? Source: Page 84 of the Van Buren County, TN county court minutes - October 1861. TSLA microfilm #14 for that county. See Howard H. Hasting, Sr.'s materialï»¿ for more information on this son of David and Margaret Haston.
1821	White County, TN Tax List: Daniel Hasting, David Hasting, Joseph Hasting, and Isaac Hasting appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in Captain Scoggon's "old" Company. The listing was taken by Nicholas Gillentine, Esq. David's total tax was 2.91 3/4. In addition to state, county, and poor taxes, a juror tax and a bridge & jail tax were assessed. David's 100 acres were said to have been on Big Spring. As usual, he was charged for one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1811-1815 / 1821-1825; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books)
1822	White County, TN Tax List: David Hasting, Joseph Hasting, and Isaac Hasting appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in Captain Parker's Company. The listing was taken by N. Gillentine, Esq. As on the 1818 tax list, Daniel does not appear, but Isaac appears with the 150 acres on Big Spring. David's total tax was 2.50. His 100 acres were said to have been situated on Big Spring. As usual, he was charged for one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1811-1815 / 1821-1825; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books)
1822 January 22	Jury duty: David Hasten (WPA transcription spelling) served as a juror for this county court session. Source: Original page 365 of WPA transcriptions of White County, TN Minute Book 6, 1820-1823.
1822 July 15	Appointed for road work: David Hastin (WPA transcription spelling) was appointed to work on the road "leading from Robert Gambles to a branch on top of the mountain East of William Crains..." "Isaac Hastin" and others who lived near the Hastons (example, Aquila Nearn, Jesse Brown, Isaac Brown, Wyatt Ogle, Wm. Brown, Robert Gamble, et. al.) were appointed to the same project. Source: Original page 469 of WPA transcriptions of White Co, TN Minute Book 6, 1820-1823.
1822 July 20	Appointed as an election judge: David Hasting (WPA transcription spelling) was appointed, along with Robt. Gamble, Isaac Plumber [sic], as a judge "to hold the money elected for com at McElhineys." Source: Original page 511 of WPA transcriptions of White Co, TN Minute Book 6, 1820-1823.
1822 October 14	Appointed Justice of Peace: David Hasting (and James Townsend, John W. Gleason, Stephen Palmer, & William McKinney) "produced in open Court a Commission signed by his Excellency William Carroll, Governor, of the State of Tennessee countersigned by David Graham Esqr. Secretary of State, commissions them as Justice of the peace for said County." The record further states that David and the others "severally took the oaths required by law, and Thereunto are permitted to act as Justices of the peace in and for the County of White, and as Justices of the Courts of pleas and quarter sessions in Said County." Sources: Original page 515 of the WPA transcribed White Co, TN Minute Book 6, 1820-1823. On page 193/186 (both numbers appear on the page) of Tennessee Commission Book 4 from the Tennessee State Library and Archives "David Hasting" and four other men are listed as having been commissioned as Justices of the Peace for White Co; the date was August 23, 1822. ----- Note: From this point on, David appears often in the court records as a Justice of the Peace. At the end of each day of court, he (along with the other sitting JPs) signed his name to the court record. Therefore there is no dearth of David Haston signatures.
1822 October 14	Appointed to assign workers for road work projects: "David Hastin Esqr." (WPA transcription spelling) was appointed to "assign a list of hands" to work on a road from "John Dales to the caney fork at porters ford." Daniel Dale was the overseer of this project. Thomas Meek was the "overseer of the road from Porters ford on caney fork to the first ford on Cane Creek above Abijah Cranes." "David Hastin Esqr." was appointed to assign hands for this project also. Sources: Original page 517 of the WPA transcribed White Co, TN Minute Book 6, 1820-1823. "David Hastings Esqr." also was appointed to assign hands for a road project overseen by Terry Gillentine. This road was "from the mouth of cane creek to the intersection of the road east of John McElhinies." Sources: Original page 520 of the WPA transcribed White Co, TN Minute Book 6, 1820-1823.
1822 October 15,16,18,19	Sitting Justice of the Peace in county court: Tuesday, October 15: At the close of court on this day, "David Haston" signed his signature as one of the JPs for the day. Wednesday, October 16: "David Hasting" (WPA transcription spelling) was on the list of JPs in the morning. His name was not on the list of JPs at the end of the day. Neither is it on the list of JPs for the following day, Thursday, October 17. Friday, October 18: "David Hasting" signs as a JP at the beginning of the day and his name is spelled "David Haston" at the end of the day as the JPs sign the closing of the session. Saturday, October 19: "David Hasting" was on the list as a JP in the morning but his signature is not on the JP list at the end of the session." Note: The variations in the spelling of David's last name are a result of who entered the names. In the mornings, a clerk made a list of the JPs present. At the end of the day, the JPs signed their own names. Sources: Original pages 525-537 of the WPA transcribed White County, TN Minute Book 6, 1820-1823.
1822 October 21	Ordered to receive 1823 tax list: "David Hastings Esqr." was, among others, ordered "to receive the lists of taxable property and polls in...captains companies for the year 1823." David's area of responsibility was "Capt. Parkers Company." Sources: Original page 549 of the WPA transcribed White County, TN Minute Book 6, 1820-1823.
1823 January 20-21ï»¿	Sitting Justice of the Peace in county court: Monday, January 20: "David Haston" was on the list as an attending JP at the beginning of the day's session. He (same spelling) signed his name at for the closing of the day's session. Tuesday, January 21: "David Haston" was on the list as an attending JP in the morning at the beginning of this session but his signature is not on the list of JPs at the closing of the session. Sources: Original pages 576-594 of the WPA transcribed White Co, TN Minute Book 6, 1820-1823.
1823 January 20ï»¿	Assigned a Justice of the Peace classification: "This day the court proceeded to the classification of the Justices of the peace to hold the courts of pleas & quarter sessions for the present year, which was determined by ballot as follows towit: [total of six classes assigned] Fifth class David Hasting, James Townsend, George D. Howard, William Denny, Joseph Anderson & Saml. A. Moore, Esqrs. to set the first week in October term." Question: Is this "classification" simply a scheduling or are there levels of authority associated with the six levels mentioned here? (See also January 9, 1826 entry.) Sources: Original page 583 of the WPA transcribed White Co, TN Minute Book 6, 1820-1823
1823 January 21	Returned tax list to court: "This day David Haston Esqr. returned in open court a list of Taxable property and polls in Capt. Parkers company for the year 1823." (see the 1823 White Co, TN tax list below) Sources: Original page 588 of the WPA transcribed White Co, TN Minute Book 6, 1820-1823
1823	White County, TN Tax List: Daniel Hastin, David Hastin, Joseph Hastin, and Isaac Hastin appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in Captain Parker's Company. The listing was taken by D. Hasting, Esq. David's total tax was 1.92 1/2. His land was described as being on Cane Creek. He was charged for one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1811-1815 / 1821-1825; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books) ----- Note: Apparently, Joseph inherited 50 acres of land from Daniel at this time. It appears that Isaac may also have inherited land from Daniel, which he sold to Rodum Doyle. Perhaps Isaac sold his part of the land because he was planning to move away from White Co, which he did soon after this time. David probably inherited the 50 acre home place from Daniel when he died. In the 1827 tax list (see below), David's 100 acres has expanded to 150 acres. We know that David's youngest son, William Carroll Haston, Sr., ended up owning the Daniel Haston home place. Jesse and Jeremiah did not receive any of their father's land because they had already moved to Missouri. Daniel Haston, Jr., who had lived in Kentucky, was deceased by this time.
1823 April 16	Unclaimed Mail in Sparta Post Office: David Haston was on a list of people who had unclaimed mail in Sparta, TN. Would love to know who sent that letter and what was in it! Source: April 16, 1823 edition of The Sparta Review.
1823 June 28	Eleventh Child (Nancy Jane) Born:* Nancy Jane married (1) McGregor Earles on November 2 or 7, 1843 (wedding performed by primitive Baptist minister, Rev. Ozias Denton*) and (2) Jesse Carrol on November 15, 1853. One source says she died in Warren County, TN, date unknown. Source: David Haston's Bible records; Source:**Source: WPA transcriptions of 1840-1861 Van Buren County, TN Marriage Records. See Howard H. Hasting, Sr.'s materialï»¿ for more information on this daughter of David and Margaret Haston.
1824ï»¿	White County, TN Tax List: Joseph Haston, Daniel Haston, and David Haston appeared on this "list of taxable property and polls" in Captain Arthur Parker's company. The listing was taken and returned by David Haston, Esq. David Haston owned 100 acres at this time. His land was located "on the big spring by D" (D = "ditto" for Caney Fork, in line above). His total tax was 1.70 1/4. David was charged poll tax for one white poll. Source: Original page 138 of 1824 Property and Poll Tax, White County, TN.
1824 April 12	Assigned Road Project Crew: Robert Gamble was "appointed Overseer of the road, from Cane Creek to the house of William Denny." David Hasting Esq. was responsible to "assign a list of hands to work thereon." Rodum Doyle was "appointed Overseer of the road from William Dennys to Thomas Shockleys on the mountain." David Hasting Esq. was responsible to "assign a list of hands to work thereon." Source: Original page 4 of Part 1 of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1824 April 7ï»¿	Unclaimed Mail in Sparta Post Office: David Haston was on a list of people who had unclaimed mail in Sparta, TN. Source: April 7, 1824 edition (Volume 2, Number 50) of The Sparta Review.
1824 July 19	Entered into Bond for Joseph's Appointment as a Constable: Joseph Hasting was "this day appointed a constable for the full space and term of two years from the date hereof, and thereupon took the oath to support the constitution of the United States, the State of Tennessee and the oath of office, together with the several oaths prescribed by law, and together with David Hasting and Arthur Parker entered into and acknowledge bond in the sum of two hundred and fifty pounds, conditioned as the law requires." Source: Page 175 of the 1824-1827 Minute Book of the Court of Common Pleas of White Co, TN; Also, original page 43 of Part 1 of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827. Note: This appointment was made just about five years prior to Joseph's death. One would think that Joseph must have been in apparent good health at this time, in order to be appointed as constable.
1824 July 19	Assigned Road Crew Workers: It was "Ordered by Court that Robert Gamble be appointed Overseer of the road leading down the Caney fork from where the same leaves the Sequache [sic] Road at the East bank of Cane Creek near Abijah Cranes thence to the top of the mountain at Thomas Schockleys and keep the same in repair as the law requires, and that David Hasting and William Denny Esq. apportion hands between said Gamble and Abijah Crane overseer of one other lot road." Source: Original page 43 of Part 1 of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1824 October 11-16ï»¿	Sitting Justice of the Peace for Court Session: David Haston was one of the JPs holding court during this week. His name appears at the beginning and/or the ending of each day of court during the period. Source: Original pages 75-96 of Part 1 of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827. Note: On Monday, October 11, of this 1824 session (original page 79 of WPA transcriptions), it was "Ordered that Isham Bradley be appointed to take charge of the Court house in Sparta, and keep the doors closed at all times except such times as Court is setting or preaching appointed or something of public interest to be transacted therein &c." However, just prior to the adjournment of court on the same day it was (original page 80) "Ordered by Court that the order appointing Isham Bradley to take charge of the Court house in Sparta be suspended until Monday next for reconsideration; and if not then acted upon to stand rescinded." Isham Bradley was a friend of the Haston family and had been the bondsman for David Haston's marriage in Knox County, some 24 years earlier. On the following Monday, David Haston was not one of the sitting JPs and no record is given, in the WPA court transcriptions for this following Monday session, of Isham Bradley or the job to "take charge of the Court house." Questions: Why was the appointment rescinded so quickly? Did someone oppose Isham's appointment, based upon some character issue? Or, was the need for the position itself called into question? Note: On January 14, 1826, Isham Bradley was issued an "ordinary" license (license to be an inn keeper) by the White County court. Jesse Lincoln (cousin of Abraham Lincoln) entered into bond with Isham Bradley on that matter. Source: Original page 320 of Part 2 of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1824 October 11	Assigned Road Crew Workers: It was "Ordered by Court that the road leading from Cane Creek to Thomas Shockleys be divided into two sections, the division to take place at the house of William Denny, that Robert Gamble the present overseer keep in repair that part of the road from Cane Creek to William Dennys and that Thomas Jackson be appointed overseer of said road from William Dennys to Thomas Shockleys and keep the same in repair as the law requires and that David Haston and William Denny Esq assign and apportion the hands between said overseers..." Source: Original page 76 of Part 1 of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1824 October 15	Daughter Polly in Bastardy Case: Polly Haston (see her January 29, 1804 entry above) "refused to declare the father of the Bastard child begotten upon her and paid a fine of five dollars as required by law." Her father, David (who was a sitting Justice of the Peace in the court on this day!), then came "into open Court and acknowledged himself indebted to the State of Tennessee in the sum of Five hundred dollars, to the use of the State to be rendered nevertheless to be void on condition that the said Polly Haston shall at all times keep her said child from becoming chargable [sic] to the County of White..." Source: Original pages 89-90 of Part 1 of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827. ----- Question: The identity of this child is revealed in another section of this site. Polly married William Lewis three years later.
1825	White County, TN Tax List: Daniel Hasting, David Hasting, and Joseph Hasting appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in Captain Parker's Company. The listing was probably taken by David Hasting, Esq. (although his name does not appear on the list). David owned 100 acres at this time. Beginning with this year, land was divided into "school lands" and "other lands." Probably the "school land" was taxable (or at a higher rate) and the other land was not (or at a lower rate). All of his land was in the "other lands" category. His total tax was 1.43 3/4. As usual, he was charged for one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1811-1815 / 1821-1825; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books)
1825 January 26 & February 2, 9	Unclaimed Mail in Sparta Post Office: David Haston was on a list of people who had unclaimed mail in Sparta, TN. Source: January 26 & February 2 & 9, 1825 editions of The Sparta Review.
1825 April 11ï»¿	Road Development Assignments: It was "Ordered by Court that John W. Simpson, Joel Smith, William Denny, Isaac Brown, Joseph Walling, Edmond Godard, Bluford Warren, John Smallman, Robert Gamble, William Mooney and David Hasting be appointed a Jury of view to lay out and mark a road, as a private way over the lands of John Dodson for the use of Samuel Miller being from the lands whereon he now lives and report thereof to the present term of this Court." It was also "Ordered by Court that John Scoggis Jnr. Jesse Scoggins, John White, William Denny and David Haston be appointed Commissioners to review and lay off and mark a road as opened round the farm of Spence Mitchell and report thereof to the present term of this Court &c." It was also "Ordered by Court that William Denny, David Hastings, Simon Doyle, Rodam Doyle and Willis Steakly be appointed Comrs. to review lay off and Mark a road beginning near the corner of Arthur Parkers Orchard, and intersecting the old road near John Gillentine lane and report thereof to the present term of this court., the same road as opened by said John Gillentine. It was also "Ordered by Court that John White, David Hastings, William Denny, Rhoadam Doyle, and John Dodson be appointed comrs. to view that part of the Sequache road as turned by Stephen Wallis near his farm, and report thereof to the present term of this Court &c." Note: Many other road projects were assigned to various people on this day. Source: Original pages 168-169 of Part 1 of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1825 July 18	Sitting Justice of Peace in County Court: David Hastin was signed in court on this Monday morning as one of the sitting Justices of the Peace. Source: Original page 201 of Part 1 of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1825 July 18ï»¿	Assigns Road Crew Workers: It was "Ordered by Court that Dan Griffith be appointed overseer of the road from the middle of the river at Porters ford on the Caney fork to John Dales and keep the same in repair as the law requires, and that David Hastings Esqr. assign a list of hands to work thereon, road of first class." Source: Original page 203 of Part 1 of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827. It was also "Ordered by Court that William Seals be appointed Overseer of the road from the middle of the river at Porters ford to the ten mile tree, and keep the same in repair as the law requires and that David Hastings Esqr. assign a list of hands to work thereon, road first class." Source: Original page 204 of Part 1 of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1825 July 18ï»¿	Appointed as Election Judge: David Hastin, Arthur Parker and Robert Gamble were appointed to be Judges for "the election of Governor of the State, a Representative in Congress, a member of the Senate and home of Representatives in the State Legislature..." These men were Judges for the voting "to be held by William Drury Esqr." Source: Original page 204 of Part 1 of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1825 October 5ï»¿	Unclaimed Mail in Sparta Post Office: David Haston was on a list of people who had unclaimed mail in Sparta, TN. Source: October 5, 1825 edition of The Sparta Review.
1825 October 10-15ï»¿	Sitting Justice of the Peace in County Court: David Hastings was one of the JPs who presided at this week of "Court of pleas and quarter sessions." His name was on the record each day, morning and/or evening, from Monday through Saturday. William Denny / Denney was also a JP for some of these court sessions. Source: Original pages 237-261 [numbers continue from Part 1] of Part 2 of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1826 January 1	White Co, TN Census: Daniel Hastin, David Hastin, and Joseph Hastin appeared on a "list containing the names and number of free male inhabitants of the age of twenty years and upwards resident citizens in Capt. Parkers company on the 1st day of January 1826 taken by David Hasting, Esq." This list was not a typical tax list with property info, etc. given. It was more of a census, similar to the one taken in 1811. Source: Copied from the original document in the White County Court Clerk office in Sparta, TN (not a transcription) Note: See the July 10, 1826 entry. David turned the census in to the court at that time. See the note regarding Daniel Haston in that July 10 entry.
1826 January 9ï»¿	"Classed" as a Justice of the Peace: It was "Ordered by Court that the Justices of the peace be classed to hold the Courts of pleas and quarter sessions for White County..." "John Bryan, David Hasting, William Warren, Thomas Cooper and Waman Leftwich Esq. to hold the first week of April Court 1826." Note: This action of "classing" the JPs appears to have simply been an issue of scheduling them for court duty. See also the January 20, 1823 entry. Source: Original page 294 of Part 2 [numbers continue from Part 1] of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1826 April 10ï»¿	Assigned Road Crew Workers: It was "Ordered by Court that Wyatt Ogle be appointed overseer of the road from William Dennys to Thomas Shockleys and keep the same in repair as the law requires and that David Haston and William Denny Esq. assign a list of hands to work thereon..." Source: Original page 323 of Part 2 [numbers continue from Part 1] of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1826 April 15ï»¿	Reports Tax Information to Court: "This day David Hasting Esq. returned in open Court a list of the taxable property and poles of Captain Parkers Company for the year 1826 which was ordered to be recorded-" Source: Original page 344 of Part 2 [numbers continue from Part 1] of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1826 July 10ï»¿	Presents 1826 Census to Court: "This day David Hasting Esqrs. returned in open Court a list of the census taken in Captain Parkers Company for the year 1826 which was ordered to be recorded-" Source: Original page 365 of Part 2 [numbers continue from Part 1] of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827. Note: See the January 1, 1826 entry for this census. Although the census was dated "January 1, 1826" it wasn't presented to court until this day, July 10 of 1826. Daniel Haston's (Hastin?) name was on this census, although it seems (by his absence on the next year's tax list) that he died sometime during this year. Does this mean that he was still living by July 10, 1826 or does it mean that the census included everyone who was living at the first of the year?
1826 July 10ï»¿	Assigned Road Crew Workers: It was "Ordered by Court that George Yeates be appointed overseer of the road from the middle of the river at Porters ford to the ten mile tree and keep the same in repair as the law requires and that David Hasting Esq assign a list of hands to work thereon it being a road f the first class-" Source: Original page 368 of Part 2 [numbers continue from Part 1] of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1826	White County, TN Tax List: Daniel Hastin, Senr., David Hastin, and Joseph Hastin appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in Captain Parker's Company. The listing was taken by David Hasting, Esq. David Hastin owned 100 acres at this time, in the "other lands" category. David's total tax was 1.81 1/4. As usual, he was charged poll tax for one white poll. Source: Original page 24 in Property and Poll Tax, 1826-1829 for White County, TN.
1826 July 10	Entered into Bond for Joseph's Reappointment as Constable: "This day the Court proceeded to the appointment of a Constable in Captain Parkers Company and to that office do appoint Joseph Hasting for the next two years ensuing who thereupon took the oath prescribed by law and together with William Denny and David Hasting entered into an acknowledged bond in the sum of one thousand dollars conditioned as the law requires." Source: Original page 368 of Part 2 [numbers continue from Part 1] of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1826 October 9ï»¿	Assigned Road Crew Workers: It was "Ordered by Court that Stephen Wallace be appointed overseer of the road from the middle of the river at Porters ford on caney fork, to John Dales and keep the same in repair as the law requires, it being a road of the first class, and that David Hasting Esq. assign a list of hands to work thereon" Source: Original page 396 of Part 2 [numbers continue from Part 1] of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1826 October 9ï»¿	Appointed to Return the 1827 Tax List: "David Hasting Esq in Captain Steakley Company" Although the WPA abstract doesn't call this the 1827 tax list, it appears to be a typical annual assignment of tax roll duties that was given to Justices of the Peace. Source: Original page 400 of Part 2 [numbers continue from Part 1] of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1826 October 12-13ï»¿	Sitting Justice of the Peace in County Court: David's name does not appear on the Thursday (October 12) morning list of JPs, but it (David Hasting) does appear on the list of JPs at the close of the day. Apparently, he arrived to the court session sometime during the day. He signed in as JP on Friday morning. The transcriber spells David's surname "Hasting." He was not on the JP list for Saturday, October 14. Source: Original page 407 of Part 2 [numbers continue from Part 1] of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1827 January 8ï»¿	Returned Tax List: "This day David Hasting Esqs returned a list of the taxable property and poles in Captain Shockleys Company for the year 1827, which was ordered to be recorded." (see entry below for this 1827 tax list) Source: Original page 447 of Part 2 [numbers continue from Part 1] of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1827ï»¿	White County, TN Tax List: David Hastin and Joseph Hastin appeared on a list of "taxable property and polls in Capt. Stukleys Co. for 1827. Returned by David Haston, Esq." David possessed 150 acres at this time (compare that with his 100 acres on previous tax lists). Apparently, he inherited the final portion of Daniel's property. That would probably have been the Daniel Haston home place. We do know that this property ended up in David's family and that it was common for the oldest son to receive the parents' home. All 150 acres were categorized as "other lands" (i.e. not "school lands") and his total tax for the year was 1.81 1/4. He was again charged for one white poll. Source: Copied from the original document in the White County Court Clerk office in Sparta, TN (not a transcription) ----- Note: On Monday, October 9, 1826, David Hasting, Esq. was assigned to return the tax list for Captain Steakley Company. On Monday, January 8, 1827, "David Hastings Esqs returned a list of the taxable property and poles [sic] in Captain Shockleys Company for the year 1827." Source: Original pages 400 and 448 of Part 2 [numbers continue from Part 1] of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1827 February 5ï»¿	David Granted 100 Acres: David acquired a 100 acres land grant (No. 1278) in White County. He was an "assignee of Isaac Dodson." This grant was made "pursuant to an act of the General Assembly...passed on the third day of December 1825." This appears to be the 1825 act of the TN General Assembly that allowed persons "to enter any vacant or unappropriated land...by paying into the county entry taker's office, one cent per acre," as per Chapter 64 (pages 72-73) of Public Acts, of the State of Tennessee for 1825 (from TSLA). This tract was "on the waters of the Caney fork and on Cumberland Mountain." It included "the improvement whereon Robert Kimbrel formerly lived and excluding the same from the land herein granted." Note: A deed map created by Wayne Haston seems to indicate that this 100 acres tract was about one-third of the way up the Yates Mountain (now Lemont) Road that runs from Route 285 in the Cane Creek area up the mountain to Spencer, TN. Source: # 911 on page 344 of Mountain District (TN) Land Grants Book B (microfilm roll # 127 at TSLA).
1827 March 28ï»¿	Twelfth Child (Isaac T.) Born:* Isaac T. married Elizabeth Sparkman on January 30, 1846, in Van Buren Co. He died September 19, 1875, in Van Buren Co. (as per Haston Ridge website) Source:* David Haston's Bible records See Howard H. Hasting, Sr.'s material for more information on this son of David and Margaret Haston.
1827 April 9-14ï»¿	Sitting Justice of Peace in County Court: David Haston was one of the "Justices of the Court of pleas and quarter sessions in and for the county of White..." for this week of court. Source: Original pages 480-507 of Part 2 [numbers continue from Part 1] of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1827 April 9ï»¿	Appointed as a Road Commissioner: It was "Ordered by court that Simon Doyle, David Haston, Spencer Mitchell, John White Senr. Christopher Steakley, Robert Gamble and Isaac Brown be appointed Commissioners to review lay off and mark a road Beginning on Cumberland Mountain near James Moses, above Isaac Browns, on Hails Turnpike road and from thence the nearest and best way to intersect a road that is now opening at or near a place known by the name of Keiths Cabbins on the Water of Glade Creek and report thereof to the next term of this Court..." It was also "Ordered by Court that Robert Gamble, Isaac Brown, William Denny, David Haston and Abijah Crane be appointed commissioners to review lay off and mark a road leading from Abijah Cranes to Sparta From Abijah Cranes Gate to the top of a red hill not exceeding one half of a mile from the gate and there or near the top of said red hill intersect with the road now leading to Sparta and report thereof to the next term of this court-" Source: Original page 481 of Part 2 [numbers continue from Part 1] of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1827 July 9ï»¿	Sitting Justice of Peace in County Court: David Hasting's name was on the list of JPs at the beginning of the day but, apparently, he didn't stay all day. His name doesn't appear on the afternoon's closing of session list of JPs. Source: Original page 521 of Part 2 [numbers continue from Part 1] of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1827 July 9	Assigned Road Crew Workers: It was "Ordered by Court that the road as reviewed by Comrs. near James Moores on Cumberland Mountain, be established, and that Thomas Moore be appointed overseer thereof being a road of the second class, and open and keep the same in repair as the law directs, and that David Hastings Esq. assign a list of hands to work thereon." It was also "Ordered by court that John Yeates be appointed overseer of the road from the ten mile tree to the middle of Caney fork, being a road of the second class, and keep the same in repair as the law requires, and that David Hasting assign a list of hands to work thereon." Source: Original page 525 of Part 2 [numbers continue from Part 1] of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1828	White County, TN Tax List: David Hasting and Joseph Hasting appeared on a list of "taxable property and polls in Capt. Stukleys Co. for 1828." The list was taken by Wm Denny, Esq. David was credited with 150 acres, situated on the Caney Fork. Apparently the 100 acres that he had recently acquired in 1827 was not included on this tax list because it was not officially registered until September 24, 1828 (as per Grant # 911). All of his land was categorized as "other lands" (not "school lands"). His total tax for the year was 1.65 3/4. He was again charged as one white poll. Source: Copied from the original document in the White County Court Clerk office in Sparta, TN (not a transcription) ----- Note: A "Blount Hasting" also appeared on this 1828 list in the same militia company as David Hasting and Joseph Hasting and situated on the Caney Fork. His name appears sandwiched right between the names of David and Joseph. This man was a "white poll" but owned no land. His total tax was .62 1/2. Who was he? Was he a new resident in White Co (perhaps a relative who have moved to be near them) or was he a young member of one of the Haston families who had just turned 21 years of age? Was he the Willie B. Haston (son of David) who was born on June 11, 1806? Having been born in 1806, this year of 1828 would have been the first full year in which Willie B. Haston was of the taxable age of 21. See also Willie B. Haston's entry in this timeline.
1829 March 2ï»¿	Thirteenth Child (William Carroll) Born:* The David Haston family Bible record indicates that William Carroll was born on March 2, 1829, and that this was a Monday (which, for March of 1829, would harmonize with the 2nd day of the month). William Carroll married Jane Denny on December 3, 1846. He died on January 11, 1902, in Van Buren County. This son was probably named after the famous William Carroll, an American general in the War of 1812, close friend of Andrew Jackson, and Governor of TN around the time of his birth (TN Governor, 1821-1827 & 1829-1835). David's Justice of the Peace commission had been granted by Governor William Carroll (see October 14, 1822 timeline entry). A brief (two pages) biographical sketch of William Carroll Haston's life was published in 1898. This sketch confirms his birth date as March 2, 1829. Source:* David Haston's Bible records See Howard H. Hasting, Sr.'s material for more information on this son of David and Margaret Haston.
1829 July 27	David Granted 71+ Acres: David acquired a land grant of 71+ acres ("being all that could be got exclusive of older claims") in White County. The land was surveyed on November 7, 1829, and was entered or registered on May 27, 1830. David only paid one cent per acre for this land, due to the December 3, 1825 act of the TN General Assembly that allowed people to secure vacant or unappropriated lands in certain parts of Tennessee. This land was adjacent to Shockley and Denney's land. It included "two small springs above Joseph Brown's." The land appears to have been on the north side of the Cumberland Mountain. Wiley B. Haston and Isham B. Haston assisted the surveyor. Sources: Grant # 1787, pages 504 & 505 of MTN District TN Land Grants, Book C (TSLA microfilm roll 128). Also, the Certificate of Survey # 1787 for David Haston from White County, TN in the Mountain District (available from TSLA). Also, pages 161-162 (or also numbered pages 144-145) of the TN State Supreme Court Case, C.T. Haston, et. al. vs Ella Haston, et. al. (# 21989-90 & MT-1602). A November 21, 1840 deed for 100 acres that I.B. (Isham Bradley) Haston sold to David Walker, indicates that I.B. Haston's land, which was located "on the waters of Cane Creek [i.e. the Cane Creek watershed] on the pass of the mountain," adjoined David Haston's 75 acres. I.B.'s land 100 acres only sold for $25.00, so it must have been cheap mountain land. Source: Page 216 of Van Buren County Deed Book B, TSLA microfilm roll #26. February 15, 1809 - Purchased 50 acres from Joseph Haston (original grant # 550); adjacent to Daniel's land on Big Spring Branch February 15, 1809 - Purchased 50 acres from Joseph Haston (original grant # 550); adjacent to Daniel's land on Big Spring Branch January 16, 1812 - Purchased 50 acres from Charles Mitchell; originally owned by Isham Bradley (grant # 529); adjacent to land purchased earlier Before 1827 - Apparently inherited 50 acres (& the Haston Station "home place") when Daniel died; adjacent to David's previous 100 acres February 5, 1827 - Purchased 100 vacant acres for 1 cent per acre; Isaac Dodson, assignee; "on waters of Caney fork & on Cumberland Mtn." July 27, 1829 - Purchased 71+ vacant acres for 1 cent per acre; adjacent to Shockley & Denney lands; appears to have been on mountain side Maximum acreage in subsequent tax records = 295 acres Note: From the tax records and deeds that we know of, the July 27, 1829, seems to have been the final land acquisition that David Haston made (other than the 1848 purchase of town lots in Spencer). *Some of the 100-acre tract (an improvement where Robert Kimbrel formerly lived) was excluded. Thus, we are not sure what the net acreage was for this acquisition. This probably accounts for 295 acres, in the subsequent tax records, instead of what would have been 321+ acres if all 100 acres of this "100 acres" tract had been included in his acquisition. Note: See also the January 27, 1854 document which clearly describes the five tracts of land that David Haston sold to his youngest son, William Carroll Haston, Sr., for the meager price of $1000.
1829 September 22	Performed Wedding for Louisa Hastings: David Hastings, Esq. performed a wedding for Thomas Taylor Green and Louisa Hastings in White County, TN. This Louisa Hastings was the daughter of Daniel & Chloe Skaggs Haston / Hastings of Adair Co, KY. Was this 'Daniel Haston" of south central Kentucky a younger brother of David Haston of White County, Tennessee? Was Louisa a niece of David Haston, Esquire? More Source: "Family Record" from a very old Bible; appears to have been the family Bible of Thomas Taylor Green (acquired from Jo Ann Massey of Booneville, MS). Daniel Haston, Jr. - Father of Louisa Hastings
1829	White County, TN Tax List: Although there is a generally complete tax list for this year, there seems to be no existing record (in the original book or the microfilm copy of that record) for the militia area where David and Joseph Haston lived. Perhaps it was not reported, but more likely it was lost at some point prior to the microfilming of the records.
1830	Federal Census: David Hastings was on the 1830 Federal Census for White Co, TN. He was in the 50-60 years of age category at that time. There were three males under age five years, one male 10-14 years, two males 15-19 years. There were two females 5-9 years old, one female 10-14, one female 20-29, and one female (presumably Margaret, his wife) in the 40-49 years of age category. Source: 1830 US Census for White Co, TN (page 20).
1831 December 14	Road Commissioner Appointment: By an act of the TN General Assembly, it was "enacted..., that David Hastings be appointed commissioner of the turnpike road owned by Hale, leading from White county to Bledsoe, and have the same fees and perform the same duties required by the commissioners appointed in 1829." Source: Page 143 of Private Acts Passed at the Stated Session of the Nineteenth General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, 1831 (available in the TN State Library & Archives).
1832	White County, TN Tax List: These names appear on a "Tax Property and Polls List" in Captain Parker's Company for 1832: William B. Hastin, Sally (nickname for Sarah) Hastin, Alfred Hastin, and David Hastin. The list was returned by David Hastings, Esquire. David Hastin owned 75 acres of "school land" and 100 acres of "other land." He was assessed 126 3/4 for taxes. David was not charged for any poll tax, probably because of his age. Source: 1832 White County, TN Tax List (no readable page number). Note: Daniel MC Hasting appeared on the White County, TN tax list in Captain Anderson's Company as returned by John Bryan, Esq. He owned 50 acres. His name appeared immediately under the name of his father-in-law, John Green. Thus, Daniel MC Hasting's (Haston) land would probably been in the Lost Creek area of upper Hickory Valley.
1832 July	Unclaimed Mail in Sparta: On this day, David Hastin Esq. had unclaimed mail at the Sparta post office. Source: Volume 3, Number 5 (Saturday, August 5, 1832) of the Sparta Recorder and Law Journal.
1832 October 19	Road Commissioner Appointment Upheld: "Be it enacted, That all laws appointing any other persons than David Hasting and Jonathan Whiteside commissioners on Hale's turnpike road be repealed." Source: Page 88 of Private Acts Passed at the Stated Session of the Nineteenth General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, 1832 (available in the TN State Library & Archives).
1833	White County Tax List: These names appear on a "Tax Property and Polls List" in Captain Simmons' Company for 1833: Isaac Hasting, Alfred Hasting, Sally Hasting, William? Hasting," __?__ Hasting, Isham B. Hasting, Thomas C. Hasting, & David Hasting. David was taxed for 71 acres of school land and 150 acres of "other" land. His property tax was $1.381. He was not charged a poll tax. Note: A ? indicates that the print is faded at that point and the names are unclear. Source: Page 45 of 1833 White County, TN tax list. According to Tennessee Cousins by Worth S. Ray, David Hastings, ESQ. took the listing of "taxable property and polls" for Captain Simmons' Company in 1833. William B. Hasting, Isham B. Hasting, Thomas C. Hasting, and David Hasting were on that list. Note: Attached to the 1833 tax list was a census of "free male inhabitants in the county of White" (TN): A total of 1873 names appeared on this list, including: Isaac Hasting, William Hasting, William B. Hasting, Isham B. Hasting, David Hasting are some of the names of men who lived in Captain Simmons' district. Daniel Haston (son of David Haston) was living in Captain Anderson's militia district (probably in the Lost Creek community). Some of the names are dim, so there may be other Haston/Hasting names on the list.
1834	White County, TN Tax List: These names appear on a "Taxable Property and Poll" list for Captain Simmons' company, which was returned by Jesse Scoggins, Esquire: James A. Haston, William B. Haston, Isham B. Haston, Thomas C. Haston, David Haston, Sally Haston, and Isaac Haston. David Haston owned 75 acres of school land and 150 acres of "other" land. He was taxed 1.54 1/4 dollars.Source: 1834 White County, TN tax list.
1835	White County, TN Tax List: These names appear on a "Taxable Property and Polls" list in Captain Shockley's Company for 1835, which was returned by D. Hasting, Esq.: William B. Hasting, Isham B. Hasting, James A. Hasting, Sarah Hasting, Isaac Hasting, and David Hasting. David owned 144 acres of school land and 150 acres of "other" land. He was taxed 1.83 3/4. Apparently, David had acquired 69 acres of school land since the 1834 tax period. Source: 1835 White County, TN Tax list. Also, Tennessee Cousins by Worth S. Ray.
1835 July 13	Sitting Justice of Peace in County Court: David Hasting, along with Joseph Cummings, Jr., Jesse Scoggan, and several other Justices of the Peace, opened this session of court. Source: Original page 1 of the WPA abstracts of the Minutes of White County, Tennessee Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1835-1841. Note: On this day in court, Isaac Hasting (son of Joseph Haston) took court action against his mother, Sarah Hasting, in order to force her to produce Joseph's will in court. David was one of the Justices of the Peace who had opened this day of court, however he was not one of the three JPs who signed off at the end of the day's session. Thus, he may or may not have been one of the Justices who heard this case. It appears to have become a standard practice that most, if not all, Justices of the Peace in the county were present to open the first morning of a quarterly court session; then most of them would leave. Source: Original pages 1 & 4 & 6 of the WPA abstracts of the Minutes of White County, Tennessee Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1835-1841.
1835 July 13	Assigned Road Crew Workers: It was "Ordered by Court that Barnett K. Mitchell be appointed Overseer of the road from Capt. Whites to the mouth of Cane Creek at the ford of Caney Fork, being a road of the second class that D. Hasting Esqr. assign a list of hands to work thereon &c." Source: Original page 1 of the WPA abstracts of the Minutes of White County, Tennessee Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1835-1841. It was also "Ordered by Court that Isham B. Hasting be appointed Overseer of the road from the forks of the road at or near the mouth of Cane Creek to the top of the Hill at Esquire Hastings being a road of the second class, and keep the same in repair as the law requires that David Hasting Esquire assign a list of hands to work there on..." Source: Original page 2 of the WPA abstracts of the Minutes of White County, Tennessee Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1835-1841. Note: This tells us that David Haston lived at the "top of the hill" on the road near the mouth of Cane Creek. Also, a January 1, 1838 entry in the White Co Court Minutes (original page 205 of WPA abstracts) indicates the same location for David's house: "...road from the fork of the road near the mouth of Caney fork to the top of the hill at David Haston being a road of the second class..."
1835 July 13	Voting Precinct to be Held at David's House: Spencer Mitchell, Daniel Dale, and Jesse Scoggin were "appointed as Jurors to hold the next General Election for members of Congress of the United States Governor of the State of Tennessee and Members to the General Assembly...at the Precinct at David Hastings..." Source: Original page 3 of the WPA abstracts of the Minutes of White County, Tennessee Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1835-1841.
1835 July 13	Appointed to Plan a Road: "Ordered by Court that Jesse Scoggin, David Hasting, John White, Sr., Robert Gamble, and Spence Mitchell, freeholders be appointed a Jury of reason to lay off and mark a road from the Sequachee road passing James Simmons's intersecting the road leading to McMinnville being a road of the third class, and report to the next term of this Court." Source: Original page 5 of the WPA abstracts of the Minutes of White County, Tennessee Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1835-1841.
1835 July 14	Witnessed a Deed: David Haston and Willie B. Haston witnessed a deed on this date for a transaction for 35 acres on the waters of Cane Creek, from Cader Measles to Micajah Walker. The land was in White County, TN at that time, but the deed was apparently not registered until 1851 when the land was in Van Buren County. Source: Page 157 of Van Buren County, TN Deed Book B, TSLA microfilm roll # 26.
1835 October 12	Opened County Court Session as a Justice of the Peace: Twenty three men, including David Hasting, opened this October 1835 session of court with their signatures. Only three JPs appear to have been in court by the end of the day. Source: Original page 22 of the WPA abstracts of the Minutes of White County, Tennessee Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1835-1841.
1835 October 19	Assigned Road Crew Workers: "Ordered by Court that Charles Denny be appointed Overseer of the road from William Dennys old place, to the top of the Mountain at John Frisbys being a road of the second class, and keep the same in repair as the law requires and that David Hasting and Joseph Cummings Esqr assign a list of hands to work there on" Source: Original page 45 of the WPA abstracts of the Minutes of White County, Tennessee Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1835-1841.
1835 October 19	Voting Precinct in His Home Discontinued: "For reasons appearing to the satisfaction of the Court, it is ordered that the precinct here to fore established at the home of David Hasting Esqr. be discontinued, and that a precinct for holding elections for Governor etc. be established at Kirklands Store, on the South side of Caney Fork." Source: Original page 46 of the WPA transcriptions of White Co, TN Court Minutes & Court of Pleas and Quarter Session, 1835-1841
1835 October 19	Ordered to Receive List of Taxable Property and Polls: "David Hasting Esqr." was ordered to receive the list of taxable property and polls in "Capt Stockleys Company" for the year 1836. Source: Original page 50 of the WPA abstracts of the Minutes of White County, Tennessee Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1835-1841.
1832-1836	Index to White Co Tax Book: These names occur in this tax book index: "Hasting, Alfred D., Daniel, David, Isaac, Isham B, James A, Sally, Sarah, Thomas B, Wilin C. William B." Source: Tennessee Cousins by Worth S. Ray.
1836	White County, TN Tax List: At this time, White County reorganized into "Districts." The old militia system of civil organization was dropped. The area where the early Hastons settled was assigned to District 15. These names appear on the 1836 tax list for District 15: David Haston, James A. Haston, Isaac Haston, Willie B. Haston, Isham B. Haston, and David M.C. Haston. David Haston owned 150 acres of "land" which was valued at $1500. He also owned 144 acres of "school land" which was valued at $140. Apparently, the school land was mountain land that was only useful for timber and other non-residential or agricultural purposes. The taxes from "school land" probably were designated for the support of public education. David was charged 57.0 for "state tax" and 2.42 (?) for "county & state tax." Source: 1836 White County, TN tax list.
1836 January 11	Opened County Court Session as a Justice of the Peace: "David Hasting" was one of the JPs who opened this January 1836 court session. Source: Original page 52 of the WPA abstracts of the Minutes of White County, Tennessee Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1835-1841. Note: This is the last time that David Haston appears in the WPA abstracts of court minutes as a Justice of the Peace in White County. Apparently, his commission expired or he quietly resigned his position. Perhaps the difficulty of crossing the Caney Fork River and traveling to Sparta for court became too much of a burden. It certainly did factor into the creation of Van Buren County, four years later.
1836 August 26	Adopted Child or Grandchild (Katherine Moore Haston) Born: Katherine Moore Haston was born. She was reared by David and Peggy Haston and took on the Haston surname. Who was she? Was she, in some way, related to the man to whom Loucinda L. Haston bore Edward Cyrus Moore? Edward Cyrus Moore also lived with David & Margaret and also took on the Haston surname. The 1800 Warren Co, TN census indicates that Loucinda only bore one child and that child was not living at the time of the census (Edward Cyrus Moore Haston died in 1898). Source: Katherine's date of birth taken from the David Haston family Bible record.
1837	White County, TN Tax List: These names appear in District 15 of the 1837 White County tax list: Isham B. Haston, Willie B. Haston, David M. Haston, Thomas C. Haston, David Haston, and Isaac Haston. David Haston owned 150 acres of land, which was valued at $1000, and was taxed "50" for that land. He also owned 75 acres of "school land," which was valued at .6, and was taxed ".3" for that land. Source: 1837 White County, TN tax list.
1837 July 3	Appointed as an Election Judge: David Haston, Joseph Cummings, Jr., and Spence Mitchell were appointed "Judges in the County of White to hold an Election...in August next for electing Representatives in Congress members of Legislation, &c." Their precinct was in District 15 in White County, TN. Source: Original page 175 of the WPA transcriptions White County, TN Court Minutes & Court of Pleas and Quarter Session, 1835-1841
1837 August 25	Land Deal: David Haston, along with more than 100 other men, entered into some kind of land deal with Thomas B. Eastland involving 5000 acres. It appears that Eastland may have purchased tracts of land from all of these people. Perhaps this was mountain land. This same Thomas B. Eastland made several similar kinds of deals with other groups of people in about this same time. Source: Pages 56-57 of White County, TN Deed Book "L" on microfilm #63.
1838	White County, TN Tax List: These names appear in District 15 of the 1838 White County tax list: David Haston, Thomas C. Haston, Willie B. Haston, Isham B. Haston, David M.C. Haston, and Isaac Haston. David Haston owned 150 acres of land, which was valued at $600, and was taxed "30" for that land. He also owned 75 acres of "school land," which was valued at .6, and was taxed ".3" for that land. The taxable value of David Haston's land decreased from $1500 in 1836, to $1000 in 1837, to $600 in 1838. Source: 1838 White County, TN tax list.
1838 April 2	Appointed to a Jury to Assess Damages for a Road: In this same day of court it had been ordered that a road be built that would pass over part of the land owned by John H. Dale. Mr. Dale objected to the road and requested that he be paid damages for the location of the road. "It is thereupon ordered by the Court that Stephen Wallis, John White, Sr., William Burden, John Austin, John W. Simpson, Pleasant Waller, Jacob Stipe, David Hatson [sic], Robert Love, Spence Mitchell, Jesse Scoggin, and Samuel Parker, freeholders be appointed a Jury to examine the above road as laid off and marked by the Commissioners where it passes through the lands of John H. Dale and thereon to assess the amount of damages (if any) which the said John H. Dale hath sustained in consequinces of the establishment & opening of said road and report thereof at the next term of this Court." Source: Original page 225 of the WPA abstracts of the Minutes of White County, Tennessee Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1835-1841.
1838 May 7	John H. Dale Road Damage Case Revisited: "Ordered by Court that the order appointing Stephen Wallis, John White, Sr., William Burden, John Austin, John W. Simpson, Pleasant Waller, Jacob Stipe, David Haston, Robert Love, Spence Mitchell, Jesse Scoggins and Samuel Parker freeholders a Jury to examine the road as laid off and marked by Commissioners where it passes through the lands of John H. Dale and thereon assess the amount of Damages (if any) which the said John H. Dale hath sustained in Consequence of the establishment and opening said road be renewed and report thereof to the next term of this Court." Source: Original page 236 of the WPA abstracts of the Minutes of White County, Tennessee Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1835-1841. Note: For some reason this jury did not get the job done. On June 4, 1838 (original WPA page 238) a new jury was appointed. From the original jury, only Stephen Wallis was appointed to this new jury. The matter was resolved on August 6 or 4, 1838 (original WPA page 248). John H. Dale was awarded $7.50 in damages.
1838 December 10	Unknown Child (Richmond T. Jones) Born: Richmond T. Jones was born in Van Buren County, TN. It is unknown as to whether he was a child of one of David & Margaret Haston's children or was an orphan from another family that was taken in by David & Margaret Haston. He does appear on the 1850 Van Buren Co, TN census with the Haston surname. Source of birth date: David Haston family Bible record.
1839	White County, TN Tax List: These names appear in District 15 of the 1839 White County tax list: Sarah Haston, Isham B. Haston, David Haston, Thomas C. Haston, David M.C. Haston, Willie B. Haston, and Isaac Haston. David Haston owned 150 acres of land, which was valued at $900, and was taxed "45" for that land. He also owned 75 acres of "school land," which was valued at .6, and was taxed ".3" for that land. The taxable value of David Haston's land increased from $600 in 1838 to $900 in 1839. \| Source: 1839 White County, TN tax list.
1839	Petition for Creation of Van Buren Co, TN: David Haston was one of the signers of the petition to create Van Buren, County. The petition was dated January 25, 1839. Van Buren County was established, from portions of White, Warren and Bledsoe counties, on January 3, 1840. The land that Daniel, David, and Joseph settled was in the southern part of White County and became a part of Van Buren County when the new county was formed. Other signers (on page # 25-1839-8) include: David Mc Haston, W.B. Haston, I.B. Haston, Thomas Haston, & Isaac Haston. Sources: Pages 57 - 58 of The History of Van Buren County, Tennessee: The Early Canebreakers, 1840-1940 by Landon Daryle Medley (1984). Petition # 25-1839 (nine pages) from the TN State Library and Archives.
1840	Federal Census for White County: David Hastin was on the 1840 US Census for White County, TN. He was in the 60-70 age category at that time. There was one female in the 50-60 age category, which would probably have been Margaret/Peggy. There were also three boys in the household, one under five years old, two from 10-15, and one from 15-20. There was a female child under age 5, another from 15-20 years old, and young woman in the 20-30 age category. Source: 1840 US Census for White County, TN

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Joseph Haston Family Timeline

Joseph Haston Family Timeline

Another Article of Interest to Descendants of Joseph Haston

The 75+ Events Timeline


1780 January 9	Birth of Joseph Haston: Joseph Haston was born during the Revolutionary War. His parents were living in Powell's Fort Valley on the Massanutten Mountain in Shenandoah County, Virginia at the time, so we assume that is where Joseph was born. Source for date of birth: Family Bible, which was said to have been in the possession of Joe Walker of TN ---- Note: "According to a family Bible in the possession of Joe Walker of Tennessee, Joseph Haston, who was born Jan. 9, 1780, married Sarah Ann Creely, who was born Nov. 7, 1785, and they had a son named James Alford Haston who was born Nov. 25, 1809." Dave R. Haston of Sparta, TN sent this info to Howard H. Hasting of San Antonio, TX in a September 4, 1978 letter. This information is also cited on page 38 of a document created by Howard H. Hasting of San Antonio, TX around 1980. A typed copy of this information, from the files of Dave Rhea Haston, says that it was "Copied from the Bible of Joe Walker by Earl Madewell in possession of Lemon Graham." Howard H. Hasting's Research Report label
1798 April	Joseph Accused of Cutting Cows' Tails: David and Joseph were tried for cutting the tails off of two horned cows belonging to Nathaniel Hays, whose fence was apparently insufficient to contain the cows. David Hasting, Daniel Hasting and John Miller put up a total of $100 in bond money for David and Joseph. Moses Roddy, Mary Ann Roddy, Eleanor Roddy, Wm. Haslet, Sr., Wm. Haslet, Jr., and Richard Cahell (spelling ?) are called to witness for the State and against David. Daniel, David's father, made some kind of plea to the court. David was found guilty and fined $5.00. Joseph was acquitted. Source: State vs David Haston & Joseph Haston; Knox County, TN County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions; Docket # 796/65 (1798). Knox County Cow Tails Case label
1800 January	Beginnings of Samuel Cowan vs Joseph Hastings "Timothy Lot" Case: The legal dispute between Samuel Cowan and Joseph Hastings appears to have started at this time. It was settled on April 15, 1801. Source: Samuel Cowan vs Joseph Haston; Knox County, TN Court Case File: Docket # 138511235, (1800). Vol. 3 Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions, 1800-1802, # 1235, 1385 (original pages 100-102). Knox County Timothy Lot Case label
1801 April	Joseph in Court vs Samuel Cowan: Court records seem to indicate that this case had been in process since January of 1800. Daniel, apparently, had leased land from John and Jane Woods, through their agent, James Charles. Joseph Haston broke down a fence which allowed Daniel's swine to trample down a hay field ("timothy lot"). Samuel Cowan took Joseph to court, claiming that it was his field that was trampled, and he sued for $1000. Joseph said that he was just doing what Daniel told him to do. This case clearly indicates that Daniel's home was on leased land and that Joseph was living with him. The location of the field was "south of the Holston, opposite Knoxville." William Charter, James Cunningham, and Sheriff Robert Houston were called upon to witness on behalf of Joseph. George Richards was a witness for Samuel Cowan. Daniel Heastings, Joseph Haston, and David Haston put up a bond of $2000. Joseph and David signed in their own handwriting. Daniel signed with a mark ("x"). Joseph was found not guilty. Source: Samuel Cowan vs Joseph Haston; Knox County, TN Court Case File: Docket # 138511235, (1800). Vol. 3 Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions, 1800-1802, # 1235, 1385 (original pages 100-102). Also, pages 76-78 of Records of Knox County, TN Minute Book, No. 3, 1800-1802 (WPA transcriptions).
1802 October 15	Witnessed a document regarding a summons of Phillip Roddey (Philip Roddy) to court: Phillip Roddey was summoned to court in Knox County, TN. Robert McClain and Moses Roddy were his securities. Joseph Haston's name is mentioned as the only one who witnessed the security agreement. Source: Docket 1648/1389 for Knox County, TN county court. The original documents for this docket are available in the Knox County, TN Archives. The docket includes several documents, but Joseph Haston's name appears only on one of them.
1802 November 7	Sold James Roddy estate land in Guilford County, NC: Dennis Towmey (of Guilford County, NC) and Joseph Haston (of Knoxville, TN) sold 100 acres on the waters of Deep River in Guilford County, NC to Samuel Millikan (or Millican) and John Redock (or Ruddock) of Randolph County, NC. These men were executors of John Henderson, deceased. Joseph was acting as an attorney for Danl. Haston in the estate of James Roddy, deceased. Patrick Healey and Wm. Lain were witnesses. In May 1803 the transaction was acknowledged in court. Source: Guilford County, NC deed #3543, November 7, 1802. Abstract on page 87 of Guilford County, NC Deed Books 7, 8, & 9. Page 37 of deed book 8 appears to be the location of the original document.
1802 November 19	Power of attorney document for him recorded in Guilford County, NC county court: Apparently, Joseph Haston appeared in Guilford County, NC on or just previous to this date. He produced, to the Guilford County, NC county court, a power of attorney document giving him authority to carry out some action for his father ("Dannel Hastons") in the estate settlement of James Roddey, of "Nox County" in Tennessee. Source: Page 227 of Guilford County, NC county court minutes, volume III (November 15, 1802). Microfilm: P. Neg. C.046.30001 Also: https://library.greensboro-nc.gov/home/showdocument?id=5578 (original page 227).
1803 May 20	Acknowledged a deed in Guilford County, NC county court: Dennis Tomey and Joseph Hastons acknowledged a deed to Samuel Millican and John Ru___ as executors for John Henderson, Decsd. for 100 acres. Did Joseph remain in Guilford County, NC during the seven months of the 1802-1803 winter? Source: See item #original page 269 of https://library.greensboro-nc.gov/home/showdocument?id=5578 (Guilford County, NC county court minutes.
About 1806	Joseph Married Sarah Ann Criely / Creely: The exact date of Joseph's marriage to Sarah is unknown. According to some sources, she was born on November 07, 1785 or 1788. Her place of birth is unknown. Source: Source unknown ----- Notes: (1) One source says that Sarah was born November 7, 1788 in Germany. (2) According to a page from Dave Rhea Haston's files, Sarah was born on 11-7-1788 and was "Sarah Creely King Haston." We have no source to indicate where the "King" part of her name came from if indeed her maiden name was King. This information (probably recorded by Dave R. or Estelle Haston in the 1970s) was said to have been "copied from the Bible of Joe Walker by Earl Madewell in possession of Lemon Graham." This Joe H. Walker married Joseph & Sarah Haston's granddaughter, Nancy Jane Haston (daughter of James Alford/Alfred Haston) on May 9, 1861. Sarah may have been the daughter of Thompson Creely whose 194 1/2 acres were situated between Nicholas Gillentine on the west, Jacob Mitchell on the east, and Daniel Haston on the south. Creely sold this tract to John Terry in 1808. See Ancestry.com.
1806 July 22	Name Appears on Petition for Formation of White County, TN: The name of "Dannel Hasstont" (the last letter appears to be a "t" but it isn't clear) appears six signatures down from "Joseph Haston" (and eight signatures below "Isam Bradley") on the petition to form a new county from Jackson County, TN. Joseph's signature was number 79 on the list. On the same page appear signatures by other men who were known to live near the Hastons, such as John Scoggin, John White, John Mitchell, Jacob Mitchell, and David Mitchell. The petition was presented to the TN state legislature (in Knoxville, then the capital of TN) on August 11, 1806 by Elijah Chissom (Chisum) and Sampson William. Note: For the most part, the signatures on this White County formation petition seem to be authentic. Except for about five signatures at the bottom of this page, most of them seem to be distinct (i.e. written by different people) and not just written by a single clerk. For example, Isam Bradley's signature matches his signature on David Haston's 1800 marriage document. However, Joseph Haston's name seems to be more fancy than his signature on the 1800 Knox County, TN "timothy field" court records. Thus, there is some reasonable doubt as to whether or not the "Joseph Haston" signature was written by Joseph's own hand. It does not seem to match other signatures that we have seen that were written by him and it appears to have been written by the same person who wrote Jacob Mitchell's signature. Perhaps, Jacob Mitchell signed the White County petition for Joseph, since Joseph had already earlier settled in the area that was to become White County but was on a temporary journey and it was known that he would return to become a White County citizen. Perhaps Joseph was on a trip back to Knox County, or that area, which might account for the birth of James Alfred Haston in Roane County, TN. Source for White County, TN petition signature: Legislative Petition # 5-1-1806, Petition for the Formation of White County from Jackson County, TN. Available from the Tennessee State Library and Archives.
About 1807	Possible Return Trip to Knox County Area: The fact that someone other than Joseph (perhaps Jacob Mitchell) signed Joseph's signature on the July 22, 1806 petition to form White County and the mention of the birth of Joseph's first son near Rockwood of Roane County, TN on November 25, 1807 seem to suggest that he and Sarah may have made a temporary return trip to the Knox County area in about 1807. Note: One person (Elizabeth Jane Stipe Hasting) who claimed to have seen Daniel Haston's wife, said that "Daniel paid her transportation to this county." Perhaps she was transported from Knox County to White County by Joseph at this time (?).
1807 November 25	Birth of James Alford (not Alfred) Haston: According to the 1922 Civil War questionnaire for John Taylor Haston, son of James Alford Haston, his father was born in Roane County, TN "near Rockwood." Since Rockwood, in Roane County, TN, is west of Knoxville and on the way toward White County from Knox County, some Haston researchers have suggested that this birth probably occurred as Joseph and Sarah were traveling from Knox County on their original journey to White County, TN. However, since Joseph Haston was apparently in White County by or before July 22, 1806 (because his name appears, at that time, on the petition to form White County, TN), that would make the Roane County place of birth for James Alford Haston questionable, unless Joseph made a return trip to Knox County after he made his entry claim for land in White County. There is some reasonable doubt as to whether or not Joseph's signature on the July 22, 1806 petition was written by his own hand. It is possible, therefore, that someone signed for him since he was on a temporary return trip to the Knox County area...perhaps to (1) escort his mother to White County and (2) to lead his older brother, David, to the new Haston home place in White County. Joseph's granddaughter-in-law, Elizabeth Jane Stipe Hasting, commented that "Daniel paid her [his wife's] transportation to this county." David did not arrive in White County, from Knox County, until sometime between November 11, 1806, and February 10, 1808. He (James Alford) married Livinia Fidella King on January 9, 1832. A census record indicates that James Alford was a carpenter and a sawmill operator. Livinia died in 1867. James Alford died on January 1 or 11, 1880 in Van Buren County, TN. Both James Alford and Livinia are buried in the Town Cemetery in Spencer (Van Buren County), TN. See their family picture of about 1858. Note: Sometimes you will see James's middle name spelled "Alfred," but his son clearly spelled it "Alford" on his Confederate Veteran's questionnaire. Sources: Haston Ridge (now defunct) website (original source unknown); some of this information from an untitled source in Wayne Haston's files; place of birth for James Alford Haston from 1922 Civil War Questionnaire from John Taylor Haston, available from the TN State Library and Archives. See Howard H. Hasting, Sr.'s material on this site (1790 entry above) for more information about this son of Joseph and Sarah Haston. James Alford and Livinia Haston Family (about 1860)
1808	Birth of William B. Haston: According to some unknown-to-me original source, Joseph and Lavinia had a son by this name born in White County, TN. It is believed that he died in infancy. No specific date for his birth is known. Question: Is this a case of mistaken identity? David Haston had a son by the name of "Willie B. Haston" who was born in 1806. Joseph's son, James A. Haston had a son named Wiley B. Haston who died at the Battle of Perryville, KY in the Civil War. He's the tall boy sitting behind his mother. Source: Haston Ridge (now defunct) website
1808 September 20	Purchased Land in White County, TN: Joseph purchased 50 acres of land in the 3rd District on the Big Spring Branch, adjacent to Isham Bradley's 50 acres, as per grant # 550. It seems that Thomas Dillon originally acquired the land from the Board of Land Commissioners for West TN, by virtue of Certificate # 63, dated July 21, 1807. Source: Grant # 550 on page 64 of Volume B of Deeds of White County, TN; Grant # 550 on page 239 of TN G District, Book A and page 64 of the TN MTN District, Book 4 (1808).
1809 February 15	Witnessed Isham Bradley Land Transaction: Joseph Hastin, David Hastin, Jacob Mitchell, and John Miles (Miles? or Miller? see below) were witnesses for a sale of 50 acres that Isham Bradley made to Charles Mitchell for $400. The land was on the Big Spring Branch. Isham Bradley earlier acquired the land from the state of TN through Grant # 529. David Haston purchased this same tract of land from Charles Mitchell for $610 on January 16, 1812. Source: Page 69 of Volume B of Deeds, White County, TN.
1809 February 15	Joseph Sold Land to David Haston: On the same day that brothers Joseph and David Haston witnessed the Isham Bradley to Charles Mitchell transaction (above) they made a land deal between themselves. For the price of $200, Joseph Hastin sold to David Hastin his interest in the 50 acres of land (Grant # 550) that he purchased a few months earlier. The land was adjacent to that of Isham Bradley and Jacob Mitchell. Isham Bradley, Charles Mitchell, and John Miller (John Miles? see above) witnessed the deal. Source: Page 107-109 of Volume B, Deeds of White County, TN, 1809-1810 ----- Note: Joseph only held this property for about five months. David made the move to White County a bit later than Joseph (and Daniel). Perhaps David made arrangements with Joseph to purchase land there for him and hold it until he arrived. Daniel and Joseph signed (or was signed for him) the July 22, 1806 petition for the formation of White County, but David's (the most civic-oriented member of the family) name does not appear on that list. David was still in Knox County selling his land on Grassy Creek until 1806-1807.
1811	The First White County, TN Census (List of Taxable Inhabitants): David Hastin and Joseph Hastin appeared in the list for Captain Isaac Pruett's Company of Militia as taken and returned by Joseph Smith, Esq. on January 1, 1812. Daniel's name does not appear on this list. Perhaps Daniel was too old to be considered a "taxable inhabitant" on the militia census. One transcribed source (Pioneers of White County, TN by W.J.H. Phillips; TN 976.89 White PHI) says that these names are David Holland and Joseph Hastin, but the original document clearly reads "David Hastin" and "Joseph Hastin." Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1811-1815 / 1821-1825; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books) ---- Note: This Captain Isaac Pruett was probably the same man who witnessed David Haston's sale of Knox County land just a few years earlier (see the September 11, 1806 entry for David's timeline)
1811	White County, TN Tax List: Joseph Hastin appeared on this list of taxable property and polls, in the bounds of Captain Isaac Pruett's militia company. He owned no land. His total tax bill for the year was .50, which included .12 1/2 for "State Tax" and .37 1/2 for "County Tax." He was charged for one "white poll," but was not charged for any "black polls" (owned no slaves), nor "steed horses," nor "retail stores," nor "town lots." Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1811-1815 / 1821-1825; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of pages of the original books) ---- Note: One transcribed source (Pioneers of White County, TN by W.J.H. Phillips (TN 976.89 White PHI); found in the White County, TN public library) spells the names "Daniel Hartin," "Joseph Hastin," and "David Hartin." In the original source, the surname spellings seem to be consistent as "Hastin." From the White County, TN tax lists we learn that none of the early White County Hastons (Daniel, David, Joseph, & Isaac) ever owned slaves, although their neighbors sometimes did.
1811 or 1812	Birth of Isaac N. Haston: This son was born in White County, TN. He was 38 years old at the time of the 1850 census. In 1832, Isaac N. married Emmaline King, who was born in NC. Isaac and Emmaline had seven children in 18 years. He was a laborer, according to the 1850 census. Apparently, he died between the 1850 and 1860 censuses. See the July 13, 1835 entry on this timeline for more information about a later court action by Isaac, in which he took his mother to court to force her to probate his father's will. Sources: Haston Ridge (now defunct) website (original source unknown); Some of this information is from untitled sources in Wayne Haston's files and from the 1850 Federal Census. See Howard H. Hasting, Sr.'s material on this site for more information on this son of Joseph and Sarah Haston. Note: William E. Shockley, an African-American, wrote a letter to his sister sometime in the 1950s or so which claims that his grandmother, Dicie Cummings-Shockley, was the daughter of an "Isaac Haston" and that she was raised in his house as a "Haston" daughter. If true, the details in that letter point to this Isaac N. Haston, son of Joseph Haston, as the man who was most likely to have been Dicie's father. However, research following up on that claim found no credible documentation to validate the claim.
1812 December 25	Birth of Joseph Claiborne Haston (Hastain): This son was born in White County, TN. He was married to Martha Ann Denny/Denney on July 3, 1845, by his uncle David Haston. Martha was born in 1830 in TN. They had two children, Nancy Ann (born 1848) and William Riley (born 1850), both were born in TN. Later, Joseph married his first cousin, Emily J. Hastings Leek (daughter of Isaac Hastings), on October 29, 1854, in Greene County, MO. They had children named Robert, Isaac, John, Lucinda, Emily, and Dave (probably born in CA). Joseph Claiborne Hastain died on June 24, 1890, in the Rincon Valley of Lake County, CA. According to Greene County, MO court records, Joseph filed for divorce from Martha in July 1853. On October 29, 1854, Joseph married Emily Hastin Leake, his widowed first cousin, a daughter of Isaac Haston. Facts related to the divorce record and post-divorce circumstances suggest that Joseph was an innocent party in whatever caused the breakup of the marriage. Martha's two older children (Nancy and William) went to California with their father and stepmother. Martha apparently married widower Aaron Davis (although I have not found their marriage record). Baby Minerva remained with her mother, Martha. Sources: Haston Ridge (defunct) website; some of this information is from Donna Van Dusen and the divorce and remarriage information is from my (Wayne Haston's) research. See Howard H. Hasting, Sr.'s material on this site for more information on this son of Joseph and Sarah Haston.
1812	White County, TN Tax List: Daniel Hastin, David Hastin, and Joseph Hastin appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in the bounds of Captain Isaac Pruett's Company of Militia. The listing was taken by Joseph Smith, Esq. Joseph Hastin's total tax was .25 (.12 1/2 for state tax and for county tax). It seems that the county tax rate dropped sharply from the previous year. Again, he was charged for one white poll. Joseph still owned no land. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1811-1815 / 1821-1825; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books) Online reference: White County, TN 1812 Tax List (microfilm roll 123, book 1812)
1813	White County, TN Tax List: Daniel Hastin, David Hastin, and Joseph Hastin appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in the bounds of Captain Isaac Pruett's Company of Militia. The listing was taken by Nicholas Gillentine, Esq. Joseph's total tax was .50. Three additional taxes (county purposes tax, courthouse tax, & poor tax) were added this year. Joseph still owned no land. Again, he was only charged for one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1811-1815 / 1821-1825; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books)
1814	White County, TN Tax List: Daniel Hastin, David Hastin, and Joseph Hastin appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in the bounds of Captain Isaac Pruett's Company of Militia. The listing was taken by Nicholas Gillentine, Esq. Joseph's total tax was .25. The three additional taxes (county purposes tax, courthouse tax, & poor tax) that were added in the previous year no longer existed. Joseph still owned no land. Again, he was charged only for one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1811-1815 / 1821-1825; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books)
1815 December 26	Birth of Malindia W. Haston: This daughter was born in White County, TN. She married William P. Howard on September 5, 1839 in White County, TN. She died on January 23, 1892 and is buried at Shepherd Cemetery in Yell County, Arkansas. Two or three of her sons are buried there also. Source: Wanda KarnesSee Howard H. Hasting, Sr.'s material on this site for more information on this daughter of Joseph and Sarah Haston.
1815	White County, TN Tax List: Daniel Hastin, David Hastin, Joseph Hastin, and Isaac Hastin appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in the bounds of Captain William Denny's Company. The listing was taken by N. Gillentine, Esq. Joseph's total tax was .25. The poor tax returned this year, but he didn't have to pay it (probably because he was not a land owner). Joseph still owned no land. Again, he was charged for one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1811-1815 / 1821-1825; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books)
1816	White County, TN Tax List: Daniel Hastin, David Hastin, Joseph Hastin, and Isaac Hastin appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in the bounds of Captain William Denny's Company of Militia. The listing was taken by Nicholas Gillentine, Esq. Joseph's total tax was .25. He still owned no land. Again, he was charged for one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1816-1818; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books)
1816 October 12	Summoned to Jury Duty: Joseph Hastin was summoned to attend the next term of court for the purpose of jury duty. Isaac Scoggin, and others, were also in the group. Source: Original page 420 of WPA transcriptions of White County Court Minutes, 1814-1817.text
1817 January 20	Served on a Jury: Joseph Hastin served as a member of a jury in this January term of White County Court of Common Pleas. Source: Page 440 of the 1814-1817 Minute Book of the Court of Common Pleas of White County, TN.
1817	White County, TN Tax List: Daniel Hasting, David Hasting, Joseph Hasting, and Isaac Hasting appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in Captain Jesse Scoggon's Company of Militia. The listing was taken by William Denny, Esq. Joseph's total tax was .69 1/4. A bridge tax was assessed this year. He now owned 20 acres of land on the Caney Fork. Again, he was charged for one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1816-1818; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books)
1817 June 17	Adjacent to Hercules Ogle, Sr. - Robert Watson: Daniel Hastings and Joseph Hastings were mentioned as being adjacent to 65 1/4 acres that Ogle sold to Watson. Source: Page 5 of White County, Tennessee Deed Records, Volume F (1817-1820) abstracted by Etta Hughes Shepherd (page 37 in original document). Also, mentioned on page 92 of Joyce Martin Murray's White County Tennessee Deed Abstracts (1801-1820).
1818	White County, TN Tax List: David Haston, Joseph Haston, and Isaac Haston appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in Captain Scoggon's Company. The listing was taken by William Denny, Esq. Daniel Haston was not mentioned, but Isaac appears on the list with 150 acres. Joseph's total tax was .47 1/2. A court house tax was assessed this year. Joseph's 20 acres was said to have been on Cane Creek. He was charged with one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1816-1818; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books)
1820	Federal Census: Joseph Hasting's household, according to this census, consisted of two males under the age of 10 and one male from 10 to 16 years of age. Joseph was in the 26 to 45 age category. There were three small girls (under 10), one girl aged 10 to 16, one female (presumably Sara, his wife) in the 26-45 category, and a female over 45. He owned no slaves. This census raises some questions about Joseph's and Sarah's family, when the census is compared to genealogical records. James Alfred would have been the 10-16 years old male; Isaac N. and Joseph Claiborne would have been the two boys under age 10. Malindia, at age 4 or 5 would have been one of the girls under 10. But, who were the other two small girls under ten years of age? Who was the female aged from 10 to 16? Who was the older female, who was over 45 years old? Perhaps this was Joseph's mother-in-law, since a woman of this age bracket (presumably Daniel's wife and Joseph's mother or step mother) was living with Daniel Haston at the time of this census. Source: 1820 Federal Census for White County, TN
1821	Birth of John C. Haston: This son was born in White County, TN. He was married to Aranetta (Netty / Nettie / Ninetta) Howard on May 8, 1847 in Van Buren County, TN by David Haston, J.P.. She was born about 1832. They had three children: Helen Hastings (born 1849), Franklin L. Hastings (born October 22, 1854) and Sarah Almeda Hastings (born August 19, 1855). John C. Hastings / Haston died between their last child Sarah Almeda in 1855 and 1857 when Aranetta remarried a William Phillips in Lawrence County, Arkansas. Source: Haston Ridge web site (original source unknown); some of this information from an untitled source in Wayne Haston's filesNote: Was this the "John Haston" who was in jail twenty years later (April 5, 1841)? "For reasons appearing to the Court it is ordered that John Haston who is before the Court in custody of the Sheriff be confined in the Common Jail of White County until tomorrow morning 10 O'clock for contempt offered this worshipful Court." Source: Original page 438 of the WPA abstracts of the Minutes of White County, Tennessee Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1835-1841. See Howard H. Hasting, Sr.'s material on this site for more information on this son of Joseph and Sarah Haston.
1821 January	Appeared on a list of debtors: Joseph Hasting appeared on an inventory of debts owed to a deceased Lawson Nourse, who was one of the earliest physicians in Sparta, TN. He was on the "Good Debt" section of the list for a $2.00 debt. There are approximately 800 names on the list. Source: Page 230 or 260 of Inventory and Wills, 1810-1828; White County, TN (original book in the White County County Court Clerk Office in Sparta, TN)
1821	White County, TN Tax List: Daniel Hasting, David Hasting, Joseph Hasting, and Isaac Hasting appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in Captain Scoggon's "old" Company. The listing was taken by Nicholas Gillentine, Esq. Joseph's total tax was 1.71 3/4. In addition to state, county, and poor taxes, a juror tax and a bridge & jail tax were assessed. Joseph's 20 acres were said to have been on Big Spring. As usual, he was charged for one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1811-1815 / 1821-1825; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books)
1821 December 19	Joseph Purchased Items from Isham Bradley: Joseph paid Isham Bradley $300 for various pieces of property, including two horses, three feather beds, furniture, etc. Isaac Brown and Jesse Brewer witnessed the transaction. Source: Page 167, December 19, 1822 entry in Volume G, Deeds of White County, TN; Also, page 322, January 22, 1822 entry (pages 360-361 in the original court minutes book) of the WPA transcription book, White County, TN Minute Book 6, 1820-1823. Note: Probably the transaction was approved in the quarterly court session in January, but was not recorded in the office of deeds until December. ---- Question: Why would Isham Bradley sell his personal goods at this time? It is true that he moved to Monroe County, TN in this decade. However, he witnessed the creation of Joseph Haston's will in July of 1827 (see below). Presumably, he was still in White County, TN at that time.
1822	White County, TN Tax List: David Hasting, Joseph Hasting, and Isaac Hasting appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in Captain Parker's Company. The listing was taken by N. Gillentine, Esq. As on the 1818 tax list, Daniel does not appear, but Isaac appears with the 150 acres on Big Spring. Joseph's total tax for this year was 1.45. His 20 acres of land was mentioned as being in Shockley's Cove. As usual, he was charged for one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1811-1815 / 1821-1825; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books)
1823	White County, TN Tax List: Daniel Hastin, David Hastin, Joseph Hastin, and Isaac Hastin appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in Captain Parker's Company. The listing was taken by D. Hasting, Esq. Daniel's name reappears on this tax roll, but only has 50 acres situated on Cane Creek, as compared to the 150 acres he owned since 1808. Joseph's total tax was 1.61 3/4. Now Joseph has 70 acres (listed as being on Cane Creek), instead of 20 acres. He was charged tax for one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1811-1815 / 1821-1825; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books) ---- Note: Apparently, Joseph inherited 50 acres of land from Daniel at this time. It appears that Isaac may also have inherited land from Daniel, which he sold to Rodum Doyle. Perhaps Isaac sold his part of the land because he was planning to move away from White County, which he did soon after this time. David probably inherited the 50 acre home place from Daniel when he died. In the 1827 tax list, David's 100 acres has expanded to 150 acres. We know that David's youngest son, William Carroll Haston, Sr., ended up owning the Daniel Haston home place. If Jesse Haston was the son of Daniel, why did he receive no land? The fact that he had already moved to Missouri might be a reason.
1824	White County, TN Tax List: Joseph Haston, Daniel Haston, and David Haston appeared on this "list of taxable property and polls" in Captain Arthur Parker's company. The listing was taken and returned by David Haston, Esq. Joseph owned 70 acres at this time. His land was located "on the big spring by D" (D = "ditto" for Caney Fork, in line above). His total tax was 1.43 3/4. Joseph was charged poll tax for one white poll. Source: Original page 138 of 1824 Property and Poll Tax, White County, TN.
1824 April 19	Summoned to Jury Duty for Next Session of Court: Joseph Hastin, along with John Gillentine, Isaac Brown and others, was ordered to attend the next session of court as jurors. Source: Original page 35 of Part 1 of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1824 July 19	Appointed as a Constable: Joseph Hasting was "this day appointed a constable for the full space and term of two years from the date hereof, and thereupon took the oath to support the constitution of the United States, the State of Tennessee and the oath of office, together with the several oaths prescribed by law, and together with David Hasting and Arthur Parker entered into and acknowledge bond in the sum of two hundred and fifty pounds, conditioned as the law requires." Source: Page 175 of the 1824-1827 Minute Book of the Court of Common Pleas of White County, TN; Also, original page 43 of Part 1 of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827. Note: This appointment was made just about five years prior to Joseph's death. One would think that Joseph must have been in apparent good health at this time, in order to be appointed as constable.
1824 July 20	Reported for Jury Duty: Joseph Hastings, John Gillentine, Isaac Brown, and other men were appointed to a jury for this session of the county court. Source: Original page 48 of Part 1 of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1824 July 24	Summoned to Appear in Next Circuit Court Session as Constable: Constables Nathaniel Evans and Joseph Hasting were ordered to appear "for the next Circuit Court for White County." Among the men called for jury duty were Spence Mitchell, Simon Doyle, and Isaac Plumlee. Source: Original page 66 of Part 1 of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1825	White County, TN Tax List: Daniel Hasting, David Hasting, and Joseph Hasting appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in Captain Parker's Company. The listing was probably taken by David Hasting, Esq. (although his name does not appear on the list). Joseph Haston owned 70 acres at this time. Beginning with this year, land was divided into "school lands" and "other lands." Probably the "school land" was taxable (or at a higher rate) and the other land was not (or at a lower rate). All of his land was in the "other lands" category. His total tax was 1.21 1/4. As usual, he charged for one white poll. Source: Property and Poll Tax, 1811-1815 / 1821-1825; in the White County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN. (not transcriptions, but copies of original books)
1825 January 17	Ordered to Serve as Constable for Next Court Session: Nathanel [sic] Evans and Joseph Hastons were ordered to report for court duty, as constables, for the next meeting of the County Court. Source: Original page 131 of Part 1 of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1825 April 12	Constable Duty in Court Session: Nathaniel Evans and Joseph Hasting reported for duty as Constables in this court session. Source: Original page 173 of Part 1 of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827.
1826 January 1	White County, TN Census: Daniel Hastin, David Hastin, and Joseph Hastin appeared on a "list containing the names and number of free male inhabitants of the age of twenty years and upwards resident citizens in Capt. Parkers company on the 1st day of January 1826 taken by David Hasting, Esq." This list was not a typical tax list with property info, etc. given. It was more of a census, similar to the taken taken in 1811. Source: Copied from the original document in the White County Court Clerk office in Sparta, TN (not a transcription)
1826	White County, TN Tax List: Daniel Hastin, Senr., David Hastin, and Joseph Hastin appeared on this "taxable property and polls" list in Captain Parker's Company. The listing was taken by David Hasting, Esq. Joseph Hastin owned 70 acres at this time, in the "other lands" category. Joseph's total tax was 1.53 1/8. As usual, he was charged poll tax for one white poll. Source: Original page 24 in Property and Poll Tax, 1826-1829 for White County, TN.
1826 January 26	Granted 66 Acres: Joseph acquired 66 acres of land on the south side of the Caney Fork for the price of one cent per acre (as allowed by the November 22, 1823 Act of the General Assembly of TN, which was probably one of the General Assembly's acts that permitted people to secure vacant or unappropriated lands). This tract adjoined land owned by David Hastin, Sampson Mooney, James Brown, Shockley, and Denny. Sources: Page 809 of Middle TN Land Grants, Book 9 (TSLA Roll 108) and Middle TN Certificate of Survey #7968 (for Joseph Hastin of White Co, TN). Also, summary on page 132 of Van Buren County Register of Deeds Entry Takers Book, Volume A (July 1836-August 1849), on TSLA microfilm Roll # 45.
1826 July 10	Reappointed as Constable: "This day the Court proceeded to the appointment of a Constable in Captain Parkers Company and to that office do appoint Joseph Hasting for the next two years ensuing who thereupon took the oath prescribed by law and together with William Denny and David Hasting entered into an acknowledged bond in the sum of one thousand dollars conditioned as the law requires." Source: Original page 368 of Part 2 [numbers continue from Part 1] of the WPA transcriptions of White County, Tennessee (County Court) Minute Book, 1824-1827. ----- Note: Apparently, Joseph did a good job during his 1824-1826 term. There has been some speculation that Joseph was a sickly man, especially in the years leading up to his death that occurred prior to 1830. This speculation is partially based upon the fact that he wrote his will in July of 1827 (see below). However, it is unlikely that he would have been fit to have been appointed as a Constable in 1826 if he was sickly at the time. The work of a Constable would have required a strong man. Perhaps, an ailment developed between July of 1826 and July of 1827.
1827	Birth of Sarah Jane Haston: This daughter was born in White County, TN. She was living with her mother at the time of the 1850 census. She married Jonathan Blankenship. Her date of death and other information are unknown. Source: Haston Ridge web site (original source unknown) See Howard H. Hasting, Sr.'s material on this site for more information on this daughter of Joseph and Sarah Haston.
1827 July 23	Joseph Created His Will: In his will, Joseph bequeathed all of his property to Sarah, "for the use of the family and the raising of my small children." The will was witnessed by William Denny, John S. Parker, and Isham Bradley. Source: Page 92, of White County, TN Inventories and Wills; Also, page 152 of the WPA transcription White County, TN Inventories & Old Wills, 1831-1840
1827	White County, TN Tax List: David Hastin and Joseph Hastin appeared on a list of "taxable property and polls in Capt. Stukleys Co. for 1827. Returned by David Haston, Esq." Joseph possessed 169 acres at this time (compare that with his 70 acres on previous tax lists). Some of his land (69 acres) was categorized as "other lands" and the rest of it (100 acres) was categorized as "school lands". His total tax for the year was 1.95 1/2. He was again charged for one white poll. Source: Copied from the original document in the White County Court Clerk office in Sparta, TN (not a transcription)
1828	White County, TN Tax List: David Hasting and Joseph Hasting appeared on a list of "taxable property and polls in Capt. Stukleys Co. for 1828." The list was taken by Wm Denny, Esq. Joseph possessed 100 acres at this time, situated on the Caney Fork (compare that with his 169 acres on the 1827 tax list). Some of his land (69 acres) was categorized as "other lands" and the rest of it (31 acres) was categorized as "school lands". His total tax for the year was .68 2/4. He was again charged for one white poll. Source: Copied from the original document in the White County Court Clerk office in Sparta, TN (not a transcription) ----- Note: A "Blount Hasting" also appeared on this 1828 list in the same militia company as David Hasting and Joseph Hasting and situated on the Caney Fork. His name appears sandwiched right between the names of David and Joseph. This man was a "white poll" but owned no land. His total tax was .62 1/2. Who was he? Was he a new resident in White County (perhaps a relative who have moved to be near them) or was he a young member of one of the Haston families who had just turned 21 years of age? Was he the Willie B. Haston (son of David) who was born on June 11, 1806? See a reference to "Blunt Haston" in the 1851 VB County court minutes.
1829	White County, TN Tax List: Although there is a generally complete tax list for this year, there seems to be no existing record (in the original book or the microfilm copy of that record) for the militia area where David and Joseph Haston lived. Perhaps it was not reported, but more likely it was lost at some point prior to the microfilming of the records.
Before 1830	Death of Joseph Haston: Joseph, one source indicates, died in 1834. However, information given in later entries on this timeline seem to suggest that he died prior to the 1830 Federal Census. He is buried in the Big Fork Cemetery in the Cummingsville community of Van Buren County, TN. Source: Unknown (source of the date of Joseph's death)
1830	Federal Census: The 1830 Federal Census for White County, TN places Sarah Ann Hasting (age 40-50) as the head of the household. There was, at the time of the census, one male between 5-10 years old, one male between 10-15 years old, one male 15-20 years old, and one male 20-30 years of age. Also, there was one female under age 5, one female between 5-10 years of age, two females between 10-15 years of age, and one female between 20-30 years old. Source: Supposedly, the 1830 Federal Census (we have not seen the actual census) ----- Note: One source (untitled document from Wayne Haston's files) surmised that "It appears that Joseph died between the 1820 and the 1830 census, leaving his wife, Sarah Ann, as the head of his family, that by 1840 the two older sons, James A. and Isaac had married so that Sarah Ann and the unmarried daughters depended upon Samuel who was listed as the head of the family, and that by 1850 all the children had married and moved away, except the two younger daughters, Sarah Jane and A(z)manda." Question: Who was Samuel? One source (page 37 of a document created by Howard H. Hasting of San Antonio, TX in the 1960s) indicates that Samuel was, as per a Federal Census, born between 1815 and 1820. Was he a son of Joseph and Sarah? If so, why is he omitted from some major family genealogies?
1831	Birth of Amanda Haston: This daughter was born in White County, TN. She was living with her mother at the time of the 1850 census, and later married William Leonard Dale on March 13 (or 14), 1858 in White County. Her date of death is unknown. Source: Haston Ridge web site (original source unknown)See Howard H. Hasting, Sr.'s material on this site for more information on this daughter of Joseph and Sarah Haston.
1832	White County, TN Tax List: These names appear on a "Tax Property and Polls List" in Captain Parker's Company for 1832: William B. Hastin, Sally (nickname for Sarah) Hastin, Alfred Hastin, and David Hastin. The list was returned by David Hastings, Esquire. Sally Hastin owned 30 acres of "school land" and 69 acres of "other land." She was assessed 55 3/4 for taxes. Sally (Sarah) was not charged for any poll tax, which would be expected because of her gender. Source: 1832 White County, TN Tax List (no readable page number).
1832 April 18	Sarah Had Unclaimed Mail: Sarah Haston was on a list of people who had mail at the Sparta (White County), TN post office that had not been claimed, as of April 1, 1832. James A. Hastin (James Alfred Haston, son of Joseph?) and Daniel M C Hesting also appeared on the list (as did Jesse Lincoln, who was the cousin of Abraham Lincoln). Source: Wednesday, April 18, 1832 edition of Sparta Record and Law Journal of Sparta (White County), TN.
1833	White Co Tax List: These names appear on a "Tax Property and Polls List" in Captain Simmon's Company for 1833: Isaac Hasting, Alfred Hasting, Sally [Sarah] Hasting, William? Hasting," __?__ Hasting, Isham B. Hasting, Thomas C. Hasting, & David Hasting. Sally (Sarah) was taxed for 30 acres of school land and 69 acres of "other" land. Her property tax was $ .618. Note: A ? indicates that the print is faded at that point and the names are unclear. Source: Page 45 of 1833 White County, TN tax list.
1834	White County, TN Tax List: These names appear on a "Taxable Property and Poll" list for Captain Simmons' company, which was returned by Jesse Scoggins, Esquire: James A. Haston, William B. Haston, Isham B. Haston, Thomas C. Haston, David Haston, Sally Haston, and Isaac Haston. Sally (Sarah) Haston owned 30 acres of school land and 69 acres of "other" land. She was taxed .99 1/2. Source: 1834 White County, TN tax list.
1835	White County, TN Tax List: These names appear on a "Taxable Property and Polls" list in Captain Shockley's Company for 1835, which was returned by D. Hasting, Esq.: William B. Hasting, Isham B. Hasting, James A. Hasting, Sarah Hasting, Isaac Hasting, and David Hasting. Sarah owned 30 acres of school land and 69 acres of "other" land. She was taxed .62. Source: 1835 White County, TN Tax list. Also, Tennessee Cousins by Worth S. Ray.
1835 July 13	Joseph's Son Isaac Filed Suit Against His Mother: Isaac Hasting, one of the heirs at law of Joseph Haston, filed a motion in an action against Sarah Hasting (his mother), widow of Joseph Hasting, praying for an order against Sarah to require her to probate the will of Joseph. The motion was granted. Source: Original page 4 of the WPA transcriptions White County, TN Court Minutes & Court of Common Pleas and Quarter Session, 1835-1841; Also, Minute Book 1835-1841, White County, TN (in County Court Clerk's office in Sparta, TN) ---- Note: Apparently when Joseph died, Sarah was in no hurry to probate his will. Isaac forced the execution of the will. The irony of the matter is that Joseph's will gave everything to Sarah and nothing to the children directly. (see below)
1835 October 12	Joseph's Will Executed: "This day was produced in open court he within writing purposing to be the last will and testament of Joseph Haston Deceased, late of the County of White, and the due execution and publication thereof proven in open court by the oaths of William Denny and John S. Parker two of the Subscribing witnesses thereto for the purposes and things therein mentioned and that the said Joseph Haston was at the date of the execution and publication thereof of sound and disposing mind and memory and that Said will is the last will and testament of the Said Joseph Haston deceased which is ordered to be recorded. Given at office 12th October A. D. 1835. Recorded and examined 26 October 1835, Test- Jacob A. Lane Clerk of White County Court. (1835 October Sessions, White County, TN) Sources: Page 92, of White County, TN Inventories and Wills. Also, original page 26 of the WPA abstracts of the Minutes of White County, Tennessee Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, 1835-1841. ---- Note: Isham Bradley, apparently, was still in White County in July of 1827, when Joseph's will was created but was not available (probably because he moved to Monroe County, TN) at the time of the execution of the will in October of 1835.
1836	White County, TN Tax List: At this time, White County reorganized into "Districts." The old militia system of civil organization was dropped. The area where the early Hastons settled was assigned to District 15. These names appear on the 1836 tax list for District 15: David Haston, James A. Haston, Isaac Haston, Willie B. Haston, Isham B. Haston, David M.C. Haston. Sarah (or Sally) Haston's name was not on the list.Source: 1836 White County, TN tax list.
1837 September 14	Joseph's Land Conveyed: Sarah Ann ("Sary") joined with her children, James A. Haston, Isaac Haston, and Malinda Haston, in a deed of conveyance of lands (20 acres) "on the waters of the big Spring of Cane Creek of the mane cainenafork" to Charles P. Shockley for $459.00. This land was adjacent to David Haston's 50 acres and a 50 acres tract owned by John Kirklen. It also touched as a corner of Jacob Stipes & John Kirklen. Sary, Isaac, and Malinda signed with their marks. Apparently, James A. Haston signed his name. David Haston witnessed the transaction. This 1837 deed was not registered until March 17, 1860 - just a few days before David Haston died. Question: When plotted out, the first set of bounds for this tract come back to the beginning and then plot out another sub-tract. Is the 20 acres measurement (stated toward the end of the deed) only for the second part of the tract or for the entire tract? Source: Deed Records of Van Buren County, TN, Book B, pages 605-606, TSLA microfilm reel # 26.On this same day of September 14, 1837, Sery Haston, James A. Haston, Isaac Haston, and Malinda Haston conveyed sixty six acres and one hundred and twenty poles to Charles P. Shockley and Wm. Denney for $150.00. Note that the 20 acres in the previous deed brought $459, as compared to $150 for this much larger tract of 66+ acres. That probably says something about the quality of land in this larger tract. This land was "situated on the waters of the main caine fork granted to Joseph Haston. Sary, Isaac, and Malinda signed with their marks. Apparently, James A. Haston signed his name. David Haston witnessed the transaction. This 1837 deed was not registered until March 17, 1860 - just a few days before David Haston died. Source: Deed Records of Van Buren County, TN, Book B, pages 606-608, TSLA microfilm reel # 26.
1837	White County, TN Tax List: Sarah Haston does not appear on the 1837 White County, TN tax list. Source: 1837 White County, TN tax list.
1838	White County, TN Tax List: Sarah Haston does not appear on the 1838 White County, TN tax list. Source: 1838 White County, TN tax list.
1839	White County, TN Tax List: These names appear in District 15 of the 1839 White County tax list: Sarah Haston, Isham B. Haston, David Haston, Thomas C. Haston, David M.C. Haston, Willie B. Haston, and Isaac Haston. Sarah Haston owned 9 acres of land, which was valued at $100, and was taxed 5. for that land. Source: 1839 White County, TN tax list
1840	Federal Census: Sary [sic] Hastin was, in the 50-60 years of age category. There was one male 15-20 years old, one male 20-30 years old, one female 10-15 years old, one female 15-20 years old, and one female 20-30 years old in the household in 1840. Source: Supposedly, the 1840 Federal Census (we have not seen the actual census)
1840	Van Buren County Tax: Sarah (Sally) Haston lived in District 3 of Van Buren County, TN and owned 9 acres at the time of this tax record, as well as in years of 1841-1844, 1846-1852, and 10 acres during the years of 1853-1855. For some reason, there is no indication that she owned land in 1845, but that may have been some kind of error in the tax records. Source: Page 40 of Van Buren County, TN Poll Tax Records, 1840-1862 (available from Van Buren County Historical Society).
1850	Federal Census: Census record # 104 for Van Buren County, TN recorded Sarah Haston, age 65, as the head of the household. She was born in TN and was a midwife by occupation. She owned $50 in personal property. A 23 year old female, Sarah J., and a 19 year old, Amanda, lived in the household at the time of this census. Source: 1850 Federal Census for Van Buren County, TN
1855 November 6	Sarah Executed a Land Deed: Sarah executed a deed for nine acres more or less of land in Van Buren County, TN to John Stewart for $100. James A. Haston & Alzira Haston witnessed the deed. Sarah signed with her mark. This is the last record that is known for Sarah Ann Criely / Creely Haston, as a living person. She does not appear as a land holder in the 1856 and subsequent tax records for Van Buren County, TN. Source: Deed of Records of Van Buren County, TN, Book B, page 496 - TSLA microfilm reel # 26. ----------------- Note: John Steward sold these nine acres to William Moore for $100 on February 13, 1856. William Moore was a leader in the Big Fork Baptist Church and lived very near the church. Source: Page ?395-396 of Van Buren County, TN Deed Book B, TSLA microfilm reel #26.
1858 February 10	Reference to Sarah Haston Line: A deed ("for the use of a poor house") granted from John Gillentine to Joseph Cummings, Chairman of the Van Buren County Court, mentions an adjacent line of Sarah Hastion. Was this Sarah Haston, the wife of deceased Joseph Haston (son of Daniel Haston)? If it was, this does not necessarily indicate that Sarah Haston was living at that time. However, the interesting thing about this deed is its location "in Civil District No. 7th on Cumberland Mountain." The land that Sarah Haston inherited from Joseph Haston was in the 3rd District of Van Buren County. Does this indicate that Sarah Haston purchased land in the 7th District and moved there late in her life? We have no other record of her having owned land in the 7th District. She does not appear as a land holder in the 1856 and subsequent tax records for Van Buren County, TN. Was it called "Sarah Haston's line" because she was living on property that was owned by someone else? For a similar reference also see the Van Buren County circuit court records for January 1857. Source: Page 484 of Van Buren County, TN Deed Book B, TSLA microfilm reel # 26.
1860 November	Death of Sarah Ann Criely/Creely Haston: According to the U.S. Federal Mortality Schedules Index, Sarah Haston of Van Buren County, TN died of croup in November of 1860. No occupation was listed and her age is given as 08MO (whatever that means?!). Source: U.S. Federal Mortality Schedules Index, ID# MRT197_140842. See Ancestry.com for this index database and to locate her mortality record. This information was compiled and digitized by Ronald V. Jackson from microfilmed schedules of the U.S. Federal Decennial Census, territorial/state censuses, and/or census substitutes.

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1938 Murder of Charles Gordon Haston

Murder by Shotgun Blasts in the Face & the Back

Then Beaten in the Head with the Stock of the Shotgun

The Haston Lineage of Charles Gordon Haston

It’s ironic that people who knew Gordon said of him, “His agreeable manner could never result in anything other than friends.” But on March 26, 1938 he met some hoodlums who were not looking to make a new friend. They were only looking for Gordon’s money, his car, and ultimately his life.

The Story Summarized From Newspaper Articles & More

Charles Gordon Haston, the son of Carroll (my Dad’s “Uncle Carroll”) and Pauline Brady Haston, was born on June 4, 1903. According to the 1910 census, the family was living in the 3rd Civil District (Doyle) of White County, TN. Gordon’s mother was the youngest daughter of Colonel Hugh James Brady, a Federal officer in the Civil War who commanded the 206th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. Her mother was Cherokee Deloniga Wilcher Brady.

In 1920, the Carroll Swafford Haston family was living in “Jacksonville” (now Hermitage) of Davidson County, TN. Carroll was apparently working as a guard in the Old Hickory Munitions (DuPont) Plant, the largest munitions plant in the world in 1918-1919 with 50,000 workers at its peak of operations.

At some point in the 1920s, Gordon’s family moved to Albany, GA, then later to Atlanta. Gordon’s name appears in the 1925 and 1926 (and probably subsequent years) editions of the Georgia Institute of Technology (now known as Georgia Tech) Blue Print (yearbook). In 1930, Gordon was a senior civil engineering major at Georgia Tech. As you can see from the featured image at the top of this page, he was highly regarded by his peers.

After graduation from Georgia Tech, on February 26, 1934, Gordon married Frances Lassiter (born May 10, 1912) who was from Selma, AL but had lived in Atlanta for two years. A Catholic priest performed the ceremony in Atlanta. They honeymooned in Nashville, TN, perhaps revisiting where he lived as a teenager, and continued by touring in the Carolinas. A year later (July 1935), they visited Cuba onboard the S.S. Cuba.

At the time of death, Gordon was a salesman. One source says that he sold refrigerators.

The Robbery and Murder of Gordon Haston

The Accident that Caught the Killer

Later, George Thomas changed his story and confessed that he, not Willie Westley, was the assailant.

Gordon Haston Died Eight Days Later in the Emory Hospital

I’m not sure where the reporter got G.Q. Haston as being Gordon’s parents.
Gordon’s age is also incorrect. He was age 34 when he died. See his death certificate below.

R.B. (Ralph) Carkuff, the informant for the death certificate, was the husband of Gordon’s wife’s (Frances’s) aunt. He was mistaken about the state in which Gordon was born, Van Buren County, TN not GA.

The Murder Trial

Killer George Thomas Executed

In a trial on April 18, 1938, eye witnesses (negro woman and her son) described what they saw happening during the brutal attack on Gordon. Also, George Thomas’s (the killer’s) confession was presented in court. Thomas was sentenced to die in the electric chair on Friday, May 13.

Many more newspaper articles are available through Newspapers.com, with more details about this case.